Quote:
Originally Posted by leomama
Hi everyone,
I was talking about this with another member last night and they encouraged me to post about this today.
Having been diagnosed with complex PTSD by a psychiatrist back in 2006 and then treated for PTSD and a PD NOS for 6 years after that it is my belief that complex PTSD is a combo of PTSD and PD. Why do I say that? Well in my research I've read such books as The body keeps the score where the author talks about a new diagnosis: developmental trauma disorder. Additionally my former psychologist and I talked at length about how my early trauma (before age 13) rewired my brain. I take a mood stabilizer and when I talked to my former psychologist about going off it he said he thinks its doing some good for my brain so perhaps I should leave it as it is. I've also heard from other people who suffered the same abuse as I (narcissistic abuse in my family of origin growing up, physical abuse) that their brains were also wired by trauma. Then after that experience I found myself in an abusive marriage, which further added to the trauma. As I met my ex husband before I was 21, my brain was not finished developing so I'm sure that relationship fed into the trauma wiring.
It is my belief that early traumatic experiences, and I've read about this other places, are what cause a personality disorder as the personality is warped as it is forming. I was one of the success stories, mine was successfully treated and now its been downgraded to a mood disorder/anxiety disorder. I still have the PTSD.
I invite others to contribute their thoughts on this topic.
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my thoughts on this is that here in ....my location.... we no longer use the term "complex PTSD" Im not saying the problems dont exist, just that my locaiton does not use that diagnosis labeling anymore....
short version here in my location in 2013 many things changed. one of those things that got changed is relabeling and individualizing mental disorders to better fit people with mental disorders which enables people with mental disorders to get better and more mental health care based on their individual problems\symptoms and how those problems and symptoms affect their individual lives.
for example here is a list of what my location goes by for trauma related mental disorders....
Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders (mental disorder category underneath this label is the various mental disorders in this category)
Reactive Attachment Disorder
Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder
Adjustment Disorders
Other Specified Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder
Unspecified Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder
what happens is for example i go to my treatment provider with a whole list of problems....anxiety, depression, sleep issues, relationship issues, anger issues, flashbacks, nightmares, feeling numb, feeling spaced out, feeling like everyone else is moving in slow motion or not have any connection to me...when activated the symptoms last for so long then subside then get activated again for so much time
my treatment provider looks at all this and assesses the severity and what in my life is affected. then the psychiatrist says to me you have Acute Stress Disorder/PTSD with specifiers depersonalizaiton and derealization ...
boiled down everything covered by these two new mental disorder way of labeling and diagnostics covers everything that was my problems when I was diagnosed with complex PTSD before 2013.
the plus is that because my problems are now better defined by the new labeling I have more treatment options available to me then before like more therapy sessions that are better geared to what my problem areas are, different kinds of medications....
my views on how my location has changed to a more individualized symptom oriented system that better defines and treats my problems... for me it works.