Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is a clinically recognized condition that results from extended exposure to prolonged social and/or interpersonal trauma, including instances of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse (including sexual abuse during childhood), domestic violence, torture, chronic early maltreatment in a caregiving relationship, and war. A differentiation between the diagnostic categorizations of C-PTSD and that of Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been suggested, as C-PTSD better describes the pervasive negative impact of chronic trauma than does PTSD alone.[1][2]
As a descriptor, PTSD fails to capture some of the core characteristics of C-PTSD. These elements include psychological fragmentation, the loss of a sense of safety, trust, and self-worth, as well as the tendency to be revictimized, and, most importantly, the loss of a coherent sense of self. It is this loss of a coherent sense of self, and the ensuing symptom profile, that most pointedly differentiates C-PTSD from PTSD.[3]
C-PTSD is characterized by chronic difficulties in many areas of emotional and interpersonal functioning. Symptoms may include:[3][2]
Treatment for C-PTSD tends to require a multi-modal approach.[4] It has been suggested that treatment for C-PTSD should differ from treatment for PTSD by focusing on problems that cause more functional impairment than the PTSD symptoms. These problems include emotional dysregulation, dissociation, and interpersonal problems.[5] Six suggested core components of complex trauma treatment include:[4]
Multiple treatments have been suggested for C-PTSD. Among these treatments are group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitizations and repossessing, and psychodrama. As C-PTSD is a fairly new concept, therapeutic protocols are just being developed.[6]
As C-PTSD shares symptoms with both PTSD and borderline personality disorder,[7] it is likely that a combination of treatments utilized for these conditions would be helpful for an individual with C-PTSD, such as dialectic behavior therapy and exposure therapy.
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