[abusedtoy]

Do any of you have been diagnosed with C-PTSD, also was told that all other personality disorders are part of this "umbrella diagnosis"? I have been one. Both of my psychiatrist and therapist agreed in diagnosing me with C-PTSD, that is inclusive of dissociative identities and borderline personality, for instance, in my case. Those who have dissociative identities AND C-PTSD, do you have the same experience? Or those who have depersonalisation-dereliastion or borderline personality, have you been diagnosed with C-PTSD as a one-size-fits-all term?

[RubyRae]

Originally Posted by abusedtoy

Do any of you have been diagnosed with C-PTSD, also was told that all other personality disorders are part of this "umbrella diagnosis"? I have been one. Both of my psychiatrist and therapist agreed in diagnosing me with C-PTSD, that is inclusive of dissociative identities and borderline personality, for instance, in my case. Those who have dissociative identities AND C-PTSD, do you have the same experience? Or those who have depersonalisation-dereliastion or borderline personality, have you been diagnosed with C-PTSD as a one-size-fits-all term?

I personally have never heard that CPTSD is an 'umbrella diagnosis' or a 'one size fits all' disorder.

I do know that some can have alters as a part of their disorder without it being DID or OSDD.Or personality issues without it being BPD.I think each person can have different issues they struggle with.

I experienced dissociation,which can be a part of it too.I don't have different identies though.

It's my understanding that usually if one has DID Bipolar OSDD,whatever,then they would be a seperate diagnosis rather than lumped together under CPTSD.

I'm not quite sure what you ate asking though.I did try to understand when you asked in another thread.

Have ypu been told that you have DID and BPD? Or just CPTSD?Have you asked your treatment providers why they haven't given an additional or a separate diagnosis?Or why they are using CPTSD as the 'umbrella' dx?Is it that they feel if they treat your CPTSD it will take care of all your problems?I think treatment would most likely be different for different disorders wouldn't they?IDK,maybe you should ask all these questions so you can understand better.

I have PTSD(cptsd but my T said since it's not in the DSM my official dx is PTSD)The derealization and depersonization were considered part of the disorder but not
severe enough to meet a separate dissociative disorder diagnosis.

[RubyRae]

I realized I asked if you were diagnosed with DID and BPD when you have already said you have not and have just been diagnosed with CPTSD. Sorry about that.

I hope someone else will come along and respond, I am curious if anyone else has heard of this.

[abusedtoy]

Originally Posted by RubyRae

I personally have never heard that CPTSD is an 'umbrella diagnosis' or a 'one size fits all' disorder.

I do know that some can have alters as a part of their disorder without it being DID or OSDD.Or personality issues without it being BPD.I think each person can have different issues they struggle with.

I experienced dissociation,which can be a part of it too.I don't have different identies though.

It's my understanding that usually if one has DID Bipolar OSDD,whatever,then they would be a seperate diagnosis rather than lumped together under CPTSD.

I'm not quite sure what you ate asking though.I did try to understand when you asked in another thread.

Have ypu been told that you have DID and BPD? Or just CPTSD?Have you asked your treatment providers why they haven't given an additional or a separate diagnosis?Or why they are using CPTSD as the 'umbrella' dx?Is it that they feel if they treat your CPTSD it will take care of all your problems?I think treatment would most likely be different for different disorders wouldn't they?IDK,maybe you should ask all these questions so you can understand better.

I have PTSD(cptsd but my T said since it's not in the DSM my official dx is PTSD)The derealization and depersonization were considered part of the disorder but not
severe enough to meet a separate dissociative disorder diagnosis.

I actually kept asking my psychiatrist many times and my therapist too, but BOTH of them agreed that all the other disorders that I have, including dissociative identities, depersonalisation-dereliasation...etc. are all included into this umbrella diagnosis C-PTSD. They insisted that they don't have to be separately diagnosed, because it is inclusive of it, in my case. I would trust them, since they are professionals.

[RubyRae]

The label doesn't matter as much as healing anyway.

[abusedtoy]

In my case, I have found it validating when I was diagnosed with C-PTSD and MDD. I find it healing.

[RubyRae]

I am glad you have found it validating and healing.

[abusedtoy]

I am still interested in hearing anyone else have been diagnosed C-PTSD with other personality disorders or symptoms such as depersonalisation-derealisation separately or together, like me?

[abusedtoy]

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD; also known as complex trauma disorder)[1] is a psychological disorder thought to occur as a result of repetitive, prolonged trauma involving sustained abuse or abandonment by a caregiver or other interpersonal relationships with an uneven power dynamic. C-PTSD is associated with sexual, emotional or physical abuse or neglect in childhood, intimate partner violence, victims of kidnapping and hostage situations, indentured servants, victims of slavery, sweatshop workers, prisoners of war, victims of bullying, concentration camp survivors, residential school survivors, and defectors of cults or cult-like organizations.[2] Situations involving captivity/entrapment (a situation lacking a viable escape route for the victim or a perception of such) can lead to C-PTSD-like symptoms, which include prolonged feelings of terror, worthlessness, helplessness, and deformation of one's identity and sense of self.[3]

Some researchers argue that C-PTSD is distinct from, but similar to PTSD, somatization disorder, dissociative identity disorder, and borderline personality disorder,[4] with the main distinction being that it distorts a person's core identity, especially when prolonged trauma occurs during childhood development[citation needed]. It was first described in 1992 by Judith Herman in her book Trauma & Recovery and an accompanying article.[4][5] Though peer-reviewed journals have published papers on C-PTSD, the category is not yet adopted by either the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), or in the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Edition (ICD-10).[6][7] However, it is proposed for the ICD-11, to be finalized in 2018.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comple...tress_disorder

[abusedtoy]

Children and adolescents

The diagnosis of PTSD was originally developed for adults who had suffered from a single event trauma, such as rape, or a traumatic experience during a war.[9] However, the situation for many children is quite different. Children can suffer chronic trauma such as maltreatment, family violence, and a disruption in attachment to their primary caregiver.[10] In many cases, it is the child's caregiver who caused the trauma.[9] The diagnosis of PTSD does not take into account how the developmental stages of children may affect their symptoms and how trauma can affect a child’s development.[9]

The term developmental trauma disorder (DTD) has also been suggested.[10] This developmental form of trauma places children at risk for developing psychiatric and medical disorders.[10] Bessel van der Kolk explains DTD as numerous encounters with interpersonal trauma such as physical assault, sexual assault, violence or death. It can also be characterized by subjective events like betrayal, defeat or shame.[11]

Repeated traumatization during childhood leads to symptoms that differ from those described for PTSD.[11] Cook and others describe symptoms and behavioural characteristics in seven domains:[12][13]

Attachment – "problems with relationship boundaries, lack of trust, social isolation, difficulty perceiving and responding to others' emotional states"
Biology – "sensory-motor developmental dysfunction, sensory-integration difficulties, somatization, and increased medical problems"
Affect or emotional regulation – "poor affect regulation, difficulty identifying and expressing emotions and internal states, and difficulties communicating needs, wants, and wishes"
Dissociation – "amnesia, depersonalization, discrete states of consciousness with discrete memories, affect, and functioning, and impaired memory for state-based events"
Behavioural control – "problems with impulse control, aggression, pathological self-soothing, and sleep problems"
Cognition – "difficulty regulating attention, problems with a variety of 'executive functions' such as planning, judgement, initiation, use of materials, and self-monitoring, difficulty processing new information, difficulty focusing and completing tasks, poor object constancy, problems with 'cause-effect' thinking, and language developmental problems such as a gap between receptive and expressive communication abilities."
Self-concept – "fragmented and disconnected autobiographical narrative, disturbed body image, low self-esteem, excessive shame, and negative internal working models of self".

AT: I have told by my psychiatrist and psychologist that C-PTSD is inclusive of these 7 domains, altogether already, including amnesnia and depersonalisation...etc. Please see it i in bold, that is why they told me that it does not have to be separately diagnosed.

[abusedtoy]

Originally Posted by RubyRae

I personally have never heard that CPTSD is an 'umbrella diagnosis' or a 'one size fits all' disorder.

I do know that some can have alters as a part of their disorder without it being DID or OSDD.Or personality issues without it being BPD.I think each person can have different issues they struggle with.

I experienced dissociation,which can be a part of it too.I don't have different identies though.

It's my understanding that usually if one has DID Bipolar OSDD,whatever,then they would be a seperate diagnosis rather than lumped together under CPTSD.

I'm not quite sure what you ate asking though.I did try to understand when you asked in another thread.

Have ypu been told that you have DID and BPD? Or just CPTSD?Have you asked your treatment providers why they haven't given an additional or a separate diagnosis?Or why they are using CPTSD as the 'umbrella' dx?Is it that they feel if they treat your CPTSD it will take care of all your problems?I think treatment would most likely be different for different disorders wouldn't they?IDK,maybe you should ask all these questions so you can understand better.

I have PTSD(cptsd but my T said since it's not in the DSM my official dx is PTSD)The derealization and depersonization were considered part of the disorder but not
severe enough to meet a separate dissociative disorder diagnosis.

I do understand that normal people can have different parts of themselves, as known as sub-personalities, in my case, I do believe I at least have OSDD, because the split personalities that we have got are in response to trauma and we communicate inside too. There is no sense of self in us, we always change.

As to the severity of depersonalisation-derealisation, in what I have obtained information from the professionals, my psychiatrist and psychologist, they told me that C-PTSD is already inclusive of depersonalisation-derealisation. If it is included, then it means that the person is already severe enough to have it into a diagnosis, C-PTSD is a diagnosis too actually. And, it depends on frequency of depersonalisation, since normal people also have it, but since again, in my case, it is trauma based, and it was as frequent as many years on a daily basis, I have been formally diagnosed of C-PTSD, that consists of the 7 domains, as you can see above with one of the section, is already INCLUSIVE of depersonalisation.

I get where you are coming from...I think I do recall that my doctor has told me that must be a purpose for a diagnosis to be done, for instance, for applying for disability pension in my case. He did told me that the primary diagnosis is C-PTSD, he said that if I am diagnosed with DID or other disorders, it has to be matter to me much more than C-PTSD. If I get DID or BPD or other personality disorders, my psychiatrist has told me that I would not get C-PTSD and would get solely one of those personality disorders instead as primary.

[RubyRae]

Ah, I think I get what you are saying now. What you experience fits the diagnosis you have been given rather than being diagnosed with something different. Like your different identities are because of your CPTSD and not DID. Your dissociation is because of CPTSD and not a dissociative disorder,and so on.

I believe that is how it is for those of us that have PTSD or CPTSD, our experiences and symptoms meet that diagnosis, otherwise we would have additional or separate ones.

[RubyRae]

Also, I am in the U.S. so things may be different depending on what country you live in.

[abusedtoy]

I live in Australia. I have C-PTSD, and a cluster of personality disorders, but my psychiatrist and psychologist, again, said that it is inclusive in this umbrella term, including dissociative identities and depersonalisation-derealisation. When I talked to my psychiatrist, even another new one, he told me that treating C-PTSD is like treating BPD as well and he sees me as a BPD patient at the same time, even though he is aware that I have C-PTSD.

[Daisy Dead Petals]

I have diagnoses of C-PTSD and avoidant personality disorder. I think the dual diagnosis is because my level of avoidance and isolation is beyond what is typically seen with PTSD and doesn't respond well to typical treatments like CBT.

[Carmina]

I'm just going through a diagnostic process with my psychiatrist at the moment but the way I see it diagnostic categories in psychiatry have a tendency to confuse cause and effect and it's useful to bear that in mind. For example 'depression' is a symptom that can be caused by many things - including PTSD and BPD but also endogenous conditions like stroke and also of course reactions to things like bereavements. So a diagnosis of depression doesn't necessarily tell you anything about aetiology, it tells you what you are experiencing but in itself is not enough, the underlying causes still need to be worked out and treated. On the other hand C-PTSD is a diagnosis that focuses more on aetiology - it is based in a pattern of complex deeply ingrained internalised traumatic experience that is harder than PTSD to resolve into single discrete events due to it becoming part of a person's life experience for a protracted period during their development and bound up with disorganised attachments and internalised self-systems. This can cause many symptoms including some that have traditionally been seen as clustering around 'personality disorder' related traits, others include depersonalisation and dissociation (which is a coping strategy and a strategy for constructing a viable self-system in the face of external threats), and of course also effects on mood and anxiety, and sometimes also psychotic symptoms. So I don't personally see it as an umbrella term but more an underlying set of life experiences that can result in multiple patterns of symptoms and that many of these can be confused with or overlap with traditional concepts of clinical conditions.

[Amyjay]

My official diagnoses are DID, PTSD, MDD and anorexia nervosa. My PTSD is more like C-PTSD but in my case I have been told the DID diagnosis supersedes the C-PTSD diagnosis (as in no point being diagnosed with both of them) so I have the PTSD diagnosis to cover those symptoms that fall under that umbrella. In my case the DID supersedes the C-PTSD for those symptoms that are not included in the C-PTSD umbrella (two or more distinct identity states and amnesia).
It isn't an exact science and different people in different countries with different training and different perspectives may or may not call the same things the same thing (or call different things different things).
What seems to matter most is having a diagnosis that enables you to access the specific help you need.
Edited to add I don't fit the criteria for a diagnosis of Borderline PD or any other PD.

[abusedtoy]

Originally Posted by Amyjay

My official diagnoses are DID, PTSD, MDD and anorexia nervosa. My PTSD is more like C-PTSD but in my case I have been told the DID diagnosis supersedes the C-PTSD diagnosis (as in no point being diagnosed with both of them) so I have the PTSD diagnosis to cover those symptoms that fall under that umbrella. In my case the DID supersedes the C-PTSD for those symptoms that are not included in the C-PTSD umbrella (two or more distinct identity states and amnesia).
It isn't an exact science and different people in different countries with different training and different perspectives may or may not call the same things the same thing (or call different things different things).
What seems to matter most is having a diagnosis that enables you to access the specific help you need.
Edited to add I don't fit the criteria for a diagnosis of Borderline PD or any other PD.

Thanks everyone here. I wonder about how my therapist had addressed me with the word DID during the session, but she only puts me on C-PTSD, because she says that all of these personality disorders that I have been diagnosed as an umbrella term are treated as the "same" way. I am currently and formally diagnosed with C-PTSD and MDD. I wonder would it be better clarify more by seeking more diagnosis, to validate at the same time?

[abusedtoy]

When I asked T about DID, she said that it is already inclusive in C-PTSD. I asked my psychiatrist, he said that in my case, my dissociative identities is part of C-PTSD already. So I would like to ask any dissociative people about this here?

Please see what is bolded below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comple...tress_disorder

Repeated traumatization during childhood leads to symptoms that differ from those described for PTSD.[11] Cook and others describe symptoms and behavioural characteristics in seven domains:[12][13]

Attachment – "problems with relationship boundaries, lack of trust, social isolation, difficulty perceiving and responding to others' emotional states"
Biology – "sensory-motor developmental dysfunction, sensory-integration difficulties, somatization, and increased medical problems"
Affect or emotional regulation – "poor affect regulation, difficulty identifying and expressing emotions and internal states, and difficulties communicating needs, wants, and wishes"
Dissociation – "amnesia, depersonalization, discrete states of consciousness with discrete memories, affect, and functioning, and impaired memory for state-based events"
Behavioural control – "problems with impulse control, aggression, pathological self-soothing, and sleep problems"
Cognition – "difficulty regulating attention, problems with a variety of 'executive functions' such as planning, judgement, initiation, use of materials, and self-monitoring, difficulty processing new information, difficulty focusing and completing tasks, poor object constancy, problems with 'cause-effect' thinking, and language developmental problems such as a gap between receptive and expressive communication abilities."
Self-concept – "fragmented and disconnected autobiographical narrative, disturbed body image, low self-esteem, excessive shame, and negative internal working models of self".

[abusedtoy]

Except for C-PTSD and MDD, I have been wondering about DID/OSDD, OCD, BPD, Trichotillomania, Depersonalisation-Derealisation and other personality disorders, such as avoidant personality and paranoid personality disorder. Again, I did asked my psychiatrist about it, I asked him about paranoia and he said it is inclusive in C-PTSD already. I asked him about avoidant, he said yes, it is also part of C-PTSD, what about pseudo-hallucination, I asked him and he said yes also. Then, I said about Trichotillomania, Depersonalisation-Derealisation and dissociative identities and he simply said again that with one single diagnosis C-PTSD is already included of everything that I have told him. He did insisted. My T confirmed yes too. Then I asked T, what about OCD and she said its all in C-PTSD and no need to separately diagnosed, because the treatment is the same, it is just the label and technicality. That's all. Then, I met another doctor and he treated me as a BPD patient, because he said C-PTSD acts like a BPD patient also. How would I not trust them, they are professionals, and especially a therapist and two psychiatrists.

[RubyRae]

You said earlier that getting the CPTSD dx was validating and healing. But your posts make it seem that you are not really satisfied or happy with it. You say you trust your treatment providers yet you keep questioning it. So I am confused over all of this.

I thought I was understanding what you are saying but I am even more confused now. If you trust what you have been told and diagnosed with then that's all that really matters. I am not sure if you are trying to convince us that everyone with CPTSD experiences the same things or trying to convince us that you have DID. If your treatment is helping that's all that really matters.

I once went to the doctor with an infection. The doctor didn't know what it was exactly and called it a garden variety infection and cleared it up with an antibiotic. I could have pushed and questioned and asked others and compared symptoms but ultimately all that mattered was getting better. Like you I trusted my treatment provider and that's what mattered.

I am not sure what types of responses you are seeking. Whenever anyone replies you keep saying the same thing, what you have been told and that you trust your treatment providers. If that's what they told you then that's fine and true for you and that's ok even if it's not true for others.

[Amyjay]

Originally Posted by abusedtoy

Except for C-PTSD and MDD, I have been wondering about DID/OSDD, OCD, BPD, Trichotillomania, Depersonalisation-Derealisation and other personality disorders, such as avoidant personality and paranoid personality disorder. Again, I did asked my psychiatrist about it, I asked him about paranoia and he said it is inclusive in C-PTSD already. I asked him about avoidant, he said yes, it is also part of C-PTSD, what about pseudo-hallucination, I asked him and he said yes also. Then, I said about Trichotillomania, Depersonalisation-Derealisation and dissociative identities and he simply said again that with one single diagnosis C-PTSD is already included of everything that I have told him. He did insisted. My T confirmed yes too. Then I asked T, what about OCD and she said its all in C-PTSD and no need to separately diagnosed, because the treatment is the same, it is just the label and technicality. That's all. Then, I met another doctor and he treated me as a BPD patient, because he said C-PTSD acts like a BPD patient also. How would I not trust them, they are professionals, and especially a therapist and two psychiatrists.

Then keep on trusting them and go with that.

[RubyRae]

I'm curious abusedtoy, are these professionals you trust the same ones that you have been talking about since you joined here?The same ones that told you to have your mom do EMDR on you at home that you talked about in another thread?

[amandalouise]

Im late to this thread so pardon me if I am saying anything that has already been said....

Abusedtoy..... I know you are trying to figure things out and it can be confusing... your first post is asking whether anyone has heard of cptsd being an umbrella diagnosis for a whole bunch of disorders. if I remember right you did ask this before in other threads. but considering you keep asking the same thing Im guessing the answers are getting are confusing you.

psych central has many people from all different places around the world.
each place around the world have their own rules for what is and isnt mental disorder. what is CPTSD in one place may not be in another place.

you are in australia I am in the USA...

here in the USA we do not have a mental disorder called CPTSD . so no CPTSD does not cover the things you are asking about... we have other mental disorder names for things that other people call CPTSD.

my suggestion is not worry about whether CPTSD in other locations covers what it does where you are. just go according to what your own treatment providers have told you.

if you dont believe your doctors and therapist, you can ask them to show you in their diagnosis books what CPTSD is in your location and whether it covers everything or not.

[abusedtoy]

Originally Posted by RubyRae

I'm curious abusedtoy, are these professionals you trust the same ones that you have been talking about since you joined here?The same ones that told you to have your mom do EMDR on you at home that you talked about in another thread?

This is a new psychiatrist I am seeing, who is associated with this EMDR thing. The formal diagnosis was done by two of my other psychiatrists and that my therapist agrees with them.