There can be no doubt that the symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder are life-altering and debilitating. In this article, we begin a series outlining the symptoms of CPTSD a few at a time to help bring understanding that the world is correct, complex post-traumatic stress disorder is important and should be included in the DSM’s next iteration so that providers of mental health services can better diagnose and treat it.
Today we are going to examine together the first six on the list of the most common symptoms listed above and conquer the rest in subsequent articles.
The Long List of Symptoms of CPTSD
There is a lot of confusion about the differences between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). However, there are some distinct differences between the two.
PTSD is mostly caused by a single event like a car accident, earthquake, or rape. CPTSD, on the other hand, forms after trauma happens repeatedly such as repeated childhood abuse or neglect.
Other traumatic events that can cause complex post-traumatic stress disorder to form are:
- Experiencing human trafficking
- Experiencing being a prisoner of war
- Living in a region wracked by war
- Experiencing or witnessing domestic abuse
The symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder are too many to list in the scope of this article. However, the twenty-four most common symptoms are listed below:
- Reliving the trauma through flashbacks and nightmares
- Avoiding situations that remind them of the trauma
- Dizziness or nausea when remembering the trauma
- Hyperarousal
- The belief that the world is a dangerous place
- A loss of trust in the self or others
- Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
- Startling easy by loud noises
- A negative self-view
- Emotional regulation difficulties
- Problems with relationships
- Thoughts or actions of suicide
- Fixating on the abuser or seeking revenge
- Losing memories of trauma or reliving them
- Difficulty regulating emotions that often manifest as rage
- Depression
- Sudden mood swings
- Feeling detached from oneself
- Feeling different from others
- Feeling ashamed
- Feeling guilty
- Difficulty maintaining relationships
- Seeking our or becoming a rescuer
- Feeling afraid for no obvious reason
A Definition of CPTSD
Before we discuss the first six symptoms on our list, it is important to, once more, define complex traumatic-stress disorder.
For a good definition of CPTSD, we turned to Beauty After Bruises, an organization that offers outreach focused on adult survivors of childhood trauma who have complex PTSD with or without the presence of a dissociative disorder. Their definition of complex post-traumatic stress disorder as follows:
“Complex PTSD comes in response to chronic traumatization over the course of months or, more often, years. This can include emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuses, domestic violence, living in a war zone, being held captive, human trafficking, and other organized rings of abuse, and more. While there are exceptional circumstances where adults develop C-PTSD, it is most often seen in those whose trauma occurred in childhood. For those who are older, being at the complete control of another person (often unable to meet their most basic needs without them), coupled with no foreseeable end in sight, can break down the psyche, the survivor’s sense of self, and affect them on this deeper level. For those who go through this as children, because the brain is still developing and they’re just beginning to learn who they are as an individual, understand the world around them, and build their first relationships – severe trauma interrupts the entire course of their psychologic and neurologic development.”
That long definition gives an insight into the hell that is complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) officially doesn’t exist in the United States as it has yet to be included as a separate diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, CPTSD is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is included in their publication the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems edition eleven (ICD-11)1 in 2018. So, while the United States lags behind in placing CPTSD in its own classification for diagnostic purposes, it is recognized by the rest of the world.
The First Six Symptoms from the List of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
All of the symptoms of CPTSD are life-altering and in many cases debilitating to the point of becoming a disability. Now, we are going to examine together the first six symptoms on our list of symptoms.
Reliving the trauma through flashbacks and nightmares. Reliving the fear and other emotions that accompanied the traumatic events that were the cause of forming CPTSD is extremely difficult. No one wishes to go back in time and relive the terror and entrapment, yet people living with the condition often do through flashbacks and nightmares.
Flashbacks aren’t just remembering what happened so long ago, they are like time-warps pulling one back into the traumatic events. When triggered, a person living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder relives the event, not just remembers it, with all the emotions they felt then.
Nightmares of what happened during traumatic events with CPTSD is not uncommon and sometimes medications are needed to help survivors sleep.
Avoiding situations that remind them of the trauma. The original trauma was so horrible for some folks that even walking past a building or smelling an odor that reminds them of what happened can cause a reaction. These reactions usually involve anxiety, and in some survivors panic.
The avoidance behavior resulting from traumatic events can become so pronounced in survivors who have CPTSD, that they cannot work or leave their homes for fear they will have a panic attack.
Dizziness or nausea when remembering the trauma. It should be no surprise to anyone that survivors living with the diagnosis of CPTSD would have physical reactions to triggers. Reliving what happened can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations, and many more physical reactions.
Hyperarousal. Many who have survived severe and repeated traumatic events often find themselves always on high alert waiting and watching subconsciously for any signs of danger. Unfortunately, this hyperarousal means they are easily triggered into a panic attack when the danger they have perceived is not real or benign.
The belief that the world is a dangerous place. After being a victim of highly traumatizing events, survivors have a tough time reconciling their current safety when contrasted against their vulnerability in their past. Because of the flashbacks and hyperarousal these folks experience, survivors feel they are unsafe all the time and that the world is dangerous. Often, survivors do not just feel endangered but that they do not fit into the world or have a place in it.
A loss of trust in the self or others. Trust isn’t easily given by survivors living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder as it was violated badly during the trauma they experienced. Survivors feel that the people around them are not to be trusted even if those people were not involved at all in what happened to them.
Survivors may also lack trust in themselves and second guess or delay decisions on just about anything important in their lives. It is uncertain whether this lack of trust in oneself comes from the way they were victimized and their inability to escape or if their self-image was severely damaged. Either way, a lack of trust in oneself and others is highly debilitating as it can become impossible to secure and hold onto any type of relationship.
The Severity of These Six Symptoms
Reading the symptoms above it is easy to see how someone might say that they can be alleviated easily through self-talk or self-awareness. However, conquering such symptoms is much harder than it may seem.
Having flashbacks, reliving the trauma, and avoiding situations that may cause either or both of them is disabling. People who do all three, as they go together, have a challenging time holding down a steady job, dealing with others, or socializing with others.
Hyperarousal and the dizziness with nausea that often accompany it hold survivors back from being able to relax as they live in fear all the time. It is because of these symptoms that survivors may feel the world is too dangerous and that they must hide by isolating, dissociating, or avoidance behavior.
There is a Silver Lining to These Cloudy Symptoms
While complex post-traumatic stress disorder is curable per se, it is highly treatable. With the right care from a qualified therapist, CPTSD need not be a life-long, incapacitating disorder. There is a multitude of treatments available and once one has admitted they have a mental health condition and recognize its causes, healing can and will begin.
It is also important to remember that you are not alone. It is believed that 7-8% of Americans experience CPTSD. There are approximately 327 million people in the United States so that means approximately 23-26 million people experience the symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, please, seek out the help of a qualified mental health professional. The moment you pick up the phone to make your first appointment your healing journey will begin. It may be a long, dark, and difficult road but along the journey you will find not only the end of the symptoms that plague you but yourself as well.
When you’re telling a story, the best stories, every character has an arc. Every single one. And that arc is usually about finding yourself or about at least finding something about yourself that you didn’t know. ~ Roy Conli
Reference
- Rosenfield, P. J., Stratyner, A., Tufekcioglu, S., Karabell, S., Mckelvey, J., & Litt, L. (2018). Complex PTSD in ICD-11: A case report on a new diagnosis. Journal of Psychiatric Practice®, 24(5), 364-370. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30427825
Want to learn more? Check out our informational blog series on “What is CPTSD?”
My name is Shirley Davis and I am a freelance writer with over 40-years- experience writing short stories and poetry. Living as I do among the corn and bean fields of Illinois (USA), working from home using the Internet has become the best way to communicate with the world. My interests are wide and varied. I love any kind of science and read several research papers per week to satisfy my curiosity. I have earned an Associate Degree in Psychology and enjoy writing books on the subjects that most interest me.
It wasn’t until the Veteran’s Administration opened their PTSD studies to ‘Non-Military, Non Veteran PTSD, that I ‘had a diagnosis’ of something besides an ‘Adjustment Disorder’. Having later attended a ‘Grand Rounds’ continuing medical education session at [then Dartmouth, now] Geisel Medical School, in 2000, by an epidemiologist entitled: “52% of Detroit Metropolitan Area Schoolchildren met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD” (Subsequent similar [epidemiological] reports from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, and in June of 2018 at five charter schools in New Orleans have followed), before I later learned of the US CDC/Kaiser-Permanente ACE study, and later adoption, [and expansion] of ACE criteria by the World Health Organization’s “WHO ACE International Questionnaire’ and now the WHO’s ‘two types of ‘ACEs’: ‘Adverse Community Environments’ and ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’, that I’ve come to appreciate Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.’s text: “The Body Keeps the Score:…”, and his 2005 proposal to the APA to consider the diagnostic construct of “C/PTSD”… Perhaps in 2020, the Epidemiologists and the Psychiatrists can reach some consensus on this. (I miss the days of the mandated “Consumer Majorities” we had under the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-641)–until the Reagan administration gutted the funding for that type of ‘government-mandated Citizen Participation’.
Thank you for your informative comment. Much of what you said I did not have knowledge about. I too have enjoyed The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Van der Kolk. Shirley
This explains my feelings and experience better than PTSD.
I was an abused child. Physically and emotionally abused by my parents and two older(3yrs. & 5yrs.) sisters. By the age of four I was terrified in my home but was even more afraid of going outside. In school I was unable to speak and would cry when spoken to or asked to answer a question or to read.(my worst fear) In grades 1 thru 5 I was called on by the teacher every day. I cried every day. Only one teacher in the third grade(this started in first grade) even asked me what was wrong. By the sixth grade I was mostly able to shut off the tears but I still couldn’t speak. This was of course absolutely hilarious to some of my classmates. I grew up in South Carolina. Mean, ignorant, racist, rednecks. I finally quit school my senior year. I decided I was too old to be humiliated every day and I was legally old enough to quit without my father being able to do anything about it. I struggled to work….never keeping a job for more than a few months. For me, agoraphobia and depression keep me mostly housebound. To add to all of this my wife has schizoaffective disorder that she refuses treatment for. Her bipolar is mostly manic….she never sits or stops talking. She’s also an abusive alcoholic.
I’ve tried therapy as a teenager and young adult. It was more harmful than helpful. I was given antidepressants that of course don’t work and aren’t meant for long term care. I was given 4 times the maximum dosage for three years. I advised the doctor about the reactions I was having but he never took me off of them because of course medicine was his only option. I eventually got drug induced yellow jaundice so bad that even the quack I was going to could recognize the symptoms. All that experience got me was weight gain and poor health.
I think it would be helpful for me to have online sessions to be able to have someone to talk to. I have a great relationship with my daughter but she struggles with her on demons from having a drunken, screaming, lunatic for a mother. My wife’s conversations don’t make any sense and being mean and disrespectful to me and our daughter seems to make her happy. My daughter has nothing to do with her. Having sane, rational conservations makes me feel some better.
Thanks for the article. My GP is an excellent physician. I’ll share this with him. He will want to read this.
I’m so glad the article helped you! I am truly sorry for your family situation. Finding a therapeutic release would benefit you much. Please, feel free to take advantage of the programs that CPTSD Foundation offers. We have scholarships if you cannot afford to pay. You are not alone. Shirley
Thank you Shirley for the response. I’ll sign up and look at what you offer.
Thanks again.
I know this will sound strange and far fetched, but if you get rid of ALL the Plants in your diet, this will GREATLY improve your mental and physical health. If you eat only Food derived from animals, the inflammation in your brain which prolongs and exasperates your C-PTSD will go away, which will greatly decrease the symptoms. Don’t believe me? YouTube Carnivore Diet and C-PTSD, Boarderline Personality Disorder, Depression…
I absolutely love that book— The Body Keeps the Score’ it is phenomenal!
Yes!!! I’ve been researching this and when I came across the deepest well by Nadine Burke Harris I learned about ACE. I called my sister who had just had a mild stroke at 37 yes old. We answered yes to almost Every question in the ace questionnaire. We were born and raised in a religious cult in Southern California with severe physical&sexual abuse and child training. We both started being hit as babies my sister 3 months old and me at 6 months. I will definitely check out the body keeps the score
Dear Shirley,
Thank you for writing this so well. I stumbled across it during a meltdown and it’s really helped me feel understood and advocated for. Even more than that, it’s helped me understand myself with a little more empathy in this moment. That’s huge.
Complex PTSD for me is feeling and reading someone’s mood in their footsteps first thing in the morning. “They’re thundering and heavy… heels first at a fast pace”; Anger? Stress? Urgency? Frustration? My body clocks it way before my brain has caught up and reacts by freezing. “Danger! Danger! Danger!… It’s not safe… Quick! Figure out the energy behind those footsteps!… Hide!” This was how I survived my mother’s unpredictable rage as a child. But now as an adult, I suffer this reaction every time. Like a cruel curse, I’m forever vigilant to how people walk! I’m yet to find a way to turn this off. It’s one of the many terrifying sounds to me.
If you’re lucky, you find a partner or friend who cares enough to want to understand. But, then you struggle with the guilt as they begin tip-toe-ing around the house. Now, you truly feel like a weirdo. Someone is now changing their behaviour for you… that feels wrong. Shame. You isolate to get away now from not only the possible trigger of the footsteps, but the shame of it now affecting the basic behaviour of your significant other. You can’t figure out the solution. Your brain is soooo tired. What once kept you alive, now makes you feel ridiculous. How can you possibly belong in this world if you can’t react normally to someone simply walking by?…
I share this tiny snippet of my world in case it helps someone else feel understood and a little less alone.
Please keep writing about CPTSD. We need to understanding (and help understanding ourselves!), empathy, compassion and more professionals with an understanding of how to help us heal and thrive in the future. The battle is very real.
Jo
Thank you for your insightful comment. Shirley
I have just discovered Complex PTSD and it explains so much of what I am.
I hope the article helped you and that your journey to healing is a gentle one. Shirley
I, too, just found this definition….not in DSM in USA.
PLEASE Make sure you find a therapist who truly knows the DIFFERENCE between PTSD. and the severity of COMPLEX PTSD. I wasted many years and MANY MANY dollars and people who had no clue.
Congratularon ON this discovery. I know you will overcome some of the MANY sufferings/handicaps Caused. Sending you Light,
I am interested in more information on complex ptsd, please
Hey, I can relate to every bit of everything I am hearing but,wait a minute cause we’re satisfying each others peptide addiction right now keeping us hard wired to it.
Where are the missing children that have been dehumanized????There is no better help for them than us and you all know it. They’ll never ever be okay if don’t help them damn it. Im 53 and I have gone through this my entire life as I’m sure I am not alone which is unfortunate. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But …..where are those kids? I can’t sleep because it. We are their only hope don’t you understand that? Don’t you remember being outside of your body floating above watching over yourself unable to get back in? It took me 5 long years to get back in my body.
What do think is happening to those dehumanized babies and kids?
I think I am going to puke …. I am sorry. Love and light to everyone of you. Please let me know about the children if you have any info. I am not going to be okay about it they need help soooo badly because I know they’ve probably already disowned themselves and thats scary too. Pray for those kids please.
I always try to remember that my difficulties at time responding to stress, hyper responsiveness, vigilance in public places, to name a few, are not weakness for my part. They are not the result of memories. They are emotional manifestations of the physical changes that occured as a result of years of horror.
While being diagnosed with MS 20+ years ago, immune mediated disorders are the door prize for a hyperactive thalamus, as it changes with trauma. My personal belief is based on diagnostic imaging, and scientific literature regarding biological changes that may occur in the face of prolonged exposure to adverse childhood events. My personal diagnostic imaging identified changes in the hypopituitary axis, amygdala, and corpus collosum. These are changes that occur in the face of sever prolonged trauma and chaos, they are not common in MS. I believe that in order to survive, or have a shot at it, our bodies change in to a survival mode. Staying safe is critical, people are not safe. I am not a social being, my concern was survival, because that was, and is, the way my body works. In that light, there may be a bit of acceptance necessary, and forgiveness. I wonder if a child discovered suffering from cptst shouldn’t be a medical emergency.
Your definition and explanation of CPTSD is a synopsis of my life. After years of medications and therapies, and then more medications, a therapist mentioned Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It was an answer that made sense to me. She changed jobs almost immediately and I didn’t see her again.
6 years on I’m 53 years old and still being treated for major depressive disorder, anxiety and ADHD. When I say treated, I mean medicated. I’ve been through 2 years of DBT with my son and recognise many Cluster B traits as part of me.
More anti depressants for mood, more methylphenidate for my adhd, and more CBT and trauma therapy…
I’m not getting better and, while I’m safe for now, have been fighting screaming suicidal thoughts/ideation.
I feel my cognitive function and memory deteriorating and my spirit is nearly broken. My GP searched for a psychiatrist and after 3 years, I’m still without a doctor who understand what’s going on in my brain.
I’m frustrated and tired.
Your words are a respite.
You’re not alone. Maybe you’ll find one online? Keep fighting ♡
Maybe look up Amen Clinics…? I know money may be an issue for many of us with CPTSD, but from what I’ve read, the Psychiatrists here study actual images of their patients’ brains to help formulate a plan and/or meds for them to take and see what is actually going on inside the brain to better help people.
Look up quatum freedom healing, Melanie Tonia Evans. Its for narcissistic abuse recovery and its the only that’s worked for me that I have tried so I think it’s worth trying 100percent . She, in my opinion, is the best trauma expert. Just my opinion …I am also 53. ????
Can you direct me to your articles related to veterans?
Here are a few to start with. I hope this helps. Shirley
https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/11/11/ptsd-and-cptsd-in-veterans/
https://www.heroesmile.com/complex-ptsd-symptoms-and-treatments-for-veterans/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7054953/
I recently have discovered many things. It is a good thing, because I’m old and if I do not find things out now, who knows? I’ve learned a great deal because I did something for my health, I quit drinking. Then the learning began. I learned about hiding, and how really good I have been at it. I hid from my childhood for a very long time. I don’t recall it, I don’t want to. When I have dreams, or glimpses, I am looking at me and whatever awful thing is occurring. I don’t know if they are accurate, because I am witnessing, not interacting.
My adolescence, I was a walking nightmare. I didn’t know what to do, this sounds ridiculous, I did not understand why I should even participate. I didn’t feel fear like others, still don’t. But I felt constant terror. I was known as the toughest kid in school (my younger brother told me, and thanked me for the Get Out of Bullying Free card). I could not be touched, but I could be knocked out. I was shot at, I’m not violent, I’ve never carried a weapon, I was so out of control, I was frightening. Men, I do not get on well with adult males. That is a strange problem to negotiate. When you add rage, well, you do not want to go there.
I’ve had, I hope, all my questions answered, about why I was, the way I was. The only thing that was unique about me, I suppose, in light of my early years, 0-8, is that I always wanted to know what feeling true happiness was like. I wanted to know what inner peace felt like. I have always pursued it, though in ill advised ways at times. When I had time, and when I was disappointed in myself sufficiently, I looked for it. I still trusted know one, so therapy was out. I do not have friends. I have a small family. I am comfortable alone, not with this though. I have always looked at religious faith and known that I had no understanding of what drew people to it. I want to say I asked for help, but I begged, I was completely beaten. I could no longer control anything. That meant I was dead, from my survival perspective.
I will never understand how I could have missed seeing so much love. I don’t know what I did to deserve it. It is as if it leaks out of the very earth at my feet. I can feel love, I live in peace, I am happy. I have in me, faith, and I have acquired at least an average amount of patience. Most importantly, I want to find a way, the way that will present itself, to pay that love forward. I’m nothing special in any way, that is a benefit sometimes. Thank you for this opportunity to cry, out of happiness, understanding, and the memory of relentless fear.
Isil.. your post moved me. I know how you feel I am older now too and seems like I am constantly fighting.. myself mostly, and that few understand. I keep going anyway because I chose early on to ‘right till I die” and if thats what it takes.. thats what it takes. we aren’t victims anymore but survivors. You can and will heal. Take care and thank you for your post. < Christine
I had my youngest child sent to prison at age 17. For 16 years I could do nothing while he was abused. Physically, mentally and emotionally. I was very involved in his life, as much as I could anyway with the limitations that was in place. I could only watch as he was fed mush contaminated with cockroaches, human manipulation and whatever they could do to “punish” the inmates. I planned two protests, called the prison frequently and did whatever I could do. In the end, trying to bring the horrible treatment to these humans to light was seen as a threat by the prison. My son was illegally held in solitary confinement for 2 years. He began to have schizophrenic symptoms. He was delusional. He did smoke pot, yes in prison, to self medicate as he was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. The prison staff accused me and him of “trafficking” which was not true and nothing was ever found, because there was no object. The misdemeanor for me was dismissed. But for him it was a kangaroo court and of course found guilty. I was banned forever. Never allowed to see my son again. Within a year, he was murdered, “someone” put a lethal dose of fentenayl and a lethal dose of morphine in a joint he acquired. The last picture I have of my son is at the funeral home prior to his cremation. His face was purple and that was the only thing exposed. I feel like I have been through hell on earth. I feel like I have been in a war for 16 years and lost. I feel that I contributed to my son’s death by trying to help. I don’t sleep and haven’t for many years. I find I am not able to live a productive life any longer. I am no longer confident in making decisions. I talked my husband to move 1,500 miles away as I can not live in that area any longer. I wanted to take my life. I have so much anger and frustration that they will never be held responsible for murdering my son. I am not able to work, so I have no insurance. Therefore no therapy for me, no medications. I’m so tired. Just so tired.
I’m so sorry to hear about your son. I cannot imagine the pain you must be in. I wish I were there to give you a hug.
Have you thought about Medicaid? I don’t know what state you live in but Medicaid pays for most if not all the cost of a therapist and medication in Illinois where I live. Some therapists work on a sliding scale and will help you pay for your care.
I hope you find the help and peace that you so desperately need and deserve. Shirley
I know I have C-PTSD and a mild case of anxiety. I sleep well, keep active, read many books, have no TV and enjoy time with my co-dependant cat, Tsunami. I’ve tried to get my psychiatrist to recognize what I have but he ignores it. He has me labeled with major depressive disorder with features of PTSD. He actually suggested ECT, as the antidepressants were not working. But wait, I’m not depressed! I have had two episodes back in the 90s that saw me hospitalized and loaded with drugs. He said it was in my history and therefore still valid. I said it is not relevant here and now, he disagreed. His refusal to talk about my childhood, (I ACE’d a score of 7), tells me he doesn’t have my best interests in mind. I’m 68 with a lifetime of experiences, I know what happened was beyond my control but I’m standing up for myself these days and that hidebound psychiatrist is history.
When the DSM includes c-ptsd with it’s own criteria. Doctors coming up will read, learn and understand how to treat an invisible and invasive type of abuse that imprisons children’s minds and leaves them with a lifetime of despair. Family doctors can become the first line of defense.
Good for YOU!
have you read “The body keeps the score”? The Body Keeps the Score
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma is a 2014 book by Bessel van der Kolk about the effects of psychological trauma, also known as traumatic stress. The book describes van der Kolk’s research and experiences, on how individuals are affected by traumatic stress, and its effects on the mind and body. The book is published in 36 languages. As of July 2021, the book had spent more than 141 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List for Nonfiction; 27 of those weeks were spent in the number one position.Wikipedia
Author:Bessel van der Kolk
Original title:The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
He also has lots of YouTube videos. Referring to him and his research is a good way to find a therapist who understandss CPTSD. Wishing you the best,
I am interested in understanding where you got the statistics related to how many people have CPTSD?
I was raised by a narcissistic addict / alcoholic father, watched domestic violence targeted at my mom and step-mom, sexually abused as a child by my step-brother, raped as a teenager, and married an narcissistic alcoholic. I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, mild-moderate depression, insomnia, ADHD, codependency, and PTSD. I take more medications that anyone I know but my mother, am in regular therapy for both me and with my spouse, but I still struggle daily.
I have heard of CPTSD, but prior to this website and particularly this article, I have not been able to find much information. CPTSD describes me exactly.
Are there any follow-on articles discussing the remaining symptoms on the list? a nd am extremely interested in reading t.hemI
There are indeed follow-up articles describing better the symptoms of CPTSD.
Here are the links:
https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/10/14/life-altering-symptoms-of-cptsd/
https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/10/28/the-final-six-symptoms-of-complex-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/
Shirley
Abuse can lead to all sorts of illnesses including Fibromyalgia and CFS. I have both. My family was abusive and I married an abusive alcoholic. It’s been in this last decade that I finally realized how abusive they all have been. I’ve been a deer caught in the headlights my entire life. Today is my 65th birthday. I’m ill and poor but I have just enough money to buy a small plot of land and buy a tough shed to live in. I want have electricity or running water but I will no longer be mistreated. Do whatever it takes to get away from your abusers. Get counseling if you can afford it. This site has lots of good info and good advice. Hang in there. Tomorrow is a new day.
Im just curious how CPTSD/PTSD are tied into how the body nervous system receives a signal that pain is in the body, yet MRI/Cat scan/Xray, all exams show nothing that could be causing the pains…
Inflammation is probably the culprit. Inflammation is a side-effect of childhood trauma and trauma in general. Here is only one paper among the many that talk about it.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4564950/
Pain and inflammation go hand in hand but may not show up on tests.
I hope this helped.
Shirley
I have a lot of these symptoms and yet my childhood seemed relatively normal, on the surface at least.
One thing that probably impacted me a lot though was the fact that my mom was depressed during her pregnancy with me as well as after my birth. I must have noticed her condition and her feelings of overwhelm and did not feel safe as a result, like she is not able to properly look after me and like I’m just a burden to her, probably even questioning if I am guilty for her feeling this way. In addition to that my dad was barely present from age 1 to 3 or so.
Also, my own parents having suffered some more dramatic trauma (mom was emotionally and physically abused by her parents and lived in a war zone as a child and young teenager etc), they weren’t able that well to attend to a child’s needs, emotionally. More specifically, my dad would react in an annoyed and uncaring way when I was upset about something and crying.
More and more I learnt to repress my feelings and keep it all to myself.
I remember feeling alone and different from others and being overwhelmed by my own emotions from an early age on.
Others never really noticed anything and just called me a quiet but nice child. Dreamy.
I started developing more severe symptoms when I was 12. That’s when I got crippling depression and insomnia, to the point where I wouldn’t go to school anymore.
With 9 I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which also impacted me quite a bit, feeling outcasted in social situations, not being able to eat a lot of foods.
Now I am 27 y.o. And have spent the last years of my life recovering from everything. Especially the damage psychiatric medication has done to me and one quite traumatic Event.
I was put on SSRIs when I was only 12 and it seems this has thrown off my hormonal balance massively, as from that point on my symptoms would only increase even though I only took it for a few months.
I had severe fatigue throughout my teenage years and often just felt very lulled and as if in my own world, unable to properly connect and relate to my peers in a meaningful way.
I think this in itself has been kind of traumatic, like there was an interruption and disturbance in my development during these very formative years, that I have struggled to catch up on until now.
The past years I have done a lot of healing work through non conventional therapeutic methods mostly. Whilst this has helped me more than years of talk therapy and medication, I still don’t really feel fully healed.
I’m grateful for resources such as this in order to put the puzzle pieces together and find out what might help me.
I think a lot of people would benefit from this information, since lot of people who do have CPTSD wouldn’t know because it’s not ‘classical trauma’.
And since it’s very rare to have fully present, aware and emotionally mature parents I think almost everyone might have mild to more severe forms of this…
WOW!
I’ve been struggling with every single symptom that you’ve described for my entire life, and I’m now 64. I’ve tried therapy and meds, but few results.
I won’t have medical insurance for another year and a half, but would like to start working on this somehow. Do you have any suggestions please?
You can attend some of CPTSD Foundation’s programs. We offer several. You can find a list on the drop-down menu on our homepage. If you cannot afford to pay, we have a scholarship program. https://cptsdfoundation.org/scholarship-application/ We would be honored to help you any way we can. Shirley
Thank you Shirley! Truly!!