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Complex PTSD is diagnosed when a person experiences repetitive or chronic traumatic events, such as long-term domestic violence or being held in captivity. Symptoms include difficulty managing emotions, changes in personal relationships, and a distorted self-view. Treatment includes antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and psychotherapy. Seeking help from a mental health professional is important to prevent debilitating effects.
People diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have typically experienced a short-lived traumatic event such as a car accident. Mental health professionals have begun assigning a diagnosis of complex PTSD to those who have experienced repetitive or chronic traumatic events. Long-term domestic violence, sexual or physical abuse, or being held in captivity are all traumatic experiences associated with complex PTSD. Symptoms of this type of PTSD include difficulty managing emotions, changes in consciousness and personal relationships, and a distorted view of oneself and the perpetrator.
Classic PTSD is associated with experiencing or witnessing an event that elicits a response of horror, helplessness, or intense fear. The events associated with complex PTSD are long-lasting and typically involve emotional or physical imprisonment. The captive victim is dependent on and under the control of another person and cannot escape the situation.
Symptoms of this type of PTSD include the loss of any sense of security, self-worth, and confidence. Those with this form of PTSD may also show a tendency to be victimized repeatedly. It is the loss of a sense of self or distorted self-view characterized by shame, guilt, and detachment that distinguishes the complex from classic PTSD. This complex PTSD symptom can make it difficult for patients to respond to the routine distress of children, for example.
A person with complex PTSD may also adopt a distorted view of the perpetrator. There may be a feeling of complete helplessness and powerlessness even after the perpetrator has been imprisoned or punished. Even the relationship with the perpetrator can become an obsession.
Regulating emotional responses becomes a difficult task for people with this form of PTSD. Depression and suicidal tendencies are often accompanied by outbursts of anger. Repressed memories, flashbacks, and dissociation may also occur.
Symptoms of complex PTSD will make it difficult for a person to cultivate healthy relationships with others. The tendency to self-isolate can limit any development of personal relationships. Being generally distrustful of other people is another obstacle for sufferers of this type of PTSD.
Treatments for classic PTSD are considered to be just as effective for complex PTSD, although the recovery process for the latter condition can be prolonged. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs are often prescribed together with prazosin, a drug that helps suppress nightmares. Psychotherapy can also be an effective way to identify and correct self-defeating behaviors and thought patterns.
Any individual who has witnessed or experienced a short- or long-term traumatic event should consider seeking help from a mental health professional. Left untreated, complex PTSD can become debilitating. Many people are at a greater risk of self-medicating by abusing substances or deliberately self-harm.
