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.