[Codep]

My name is Dawn and I have a question regarding PTSD and CPTSD.

3 years ago, I was 8 months pregnant. I had been in a relationship with the father of my children for 8 years. One evening out of the blue, he told me that he just didn’t love me anymore. He also told me he was moving out. I was completely blind sided. I thought everything was fine. I was weeks from having our second child and was excited for the future. The night he said that to me I cried and I felt the most desperate, scared, humiliated and alone I had ever felt. The next morning I remember thinking, that I was no longer the person I was yesterday. I felt like hearing that from him was so traumatic that It somehow changed me. I felt broken. And now 3 years later I am still scared and desperate and broken. thinking about that day for too long at a time will trigger me to a fit if heavy weeping and I feel the same feelings I felt in that moment 3 years ago.

It has affected any other romantic relationships I’ve tried to be in. I’m filled with such an empty, lonely and misunderstood feeling every day. Could a single interpersonal event such as this cause PTSD or CPTSD? And because it is just a singular but also interpersonal event that caused the trauma would it be PTSD or CPTSD?

[Kathleen83]

Yes, a single traumatic event can absolutely cause PTSD. The longevity of how you are feeling makes it possible that you might have PTSD. And,...this being from a single event is the very definition of PTSD versus CPTSD. CPTSD is being defined as a series of events that has occurred, (repeated abuse, etc.) versus a singular event. What I can't tell you is if what you are experiencing is depression, anxiety, PTSD, or any of the other trauma-based diagnoses. That's where a good counselor / therapist / psych doc etc comes in. Mental health providers are exactly like physical health providers - they all get trained in the basics, then they get more training in specialty areas. It might be helpful for you, therefore, to find a provider who specializes in trauma based care. They will be able to help you figure out whether or not you have PTSD, or any of the other trauma based diagnoses, or something else. The label of what you have isn't the most important thing. How to help you get better is what is important. I am so sorry you have suffered for so many years. Take comfort in knowing that life doesn't have to be as it is now for you. It is possible to move on, to get better, to have a new, good, loving relationship. Sounds like you are heading in the right direction; keep walking. You can find your answers, and find a better, fuller, more meaningful life. A good mental health provider can help you get there quicker and easier than trying to do it all alone.