A person with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experiences symptoms that are more severe and long-lasting than those associated with traditional PTSD. Symptoms can interfere with a person’s ability to function normally in various areas of life, including work performance, parenting, financial management, and relationships.
Complex PTSD is different from conventional PTSD because it typically develops after multiple traumatic events. People who have C-PTSD may also have other mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety disorders, and they can have co-occurring substance abuse problems.
Treatment for Complex PTSD includes a combination of psychotherapy and behavioral health medications, such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs. A therapist will work with you to identify traumatic memories and negative thought patterns, change them to more realistic and positive ones, and teach you to cope adaptively with your traumas.
Survivors of complex PTSD will usually find it hard to trust others and have trouble discussing their past. They can also have an inability to focus or concentrate on tasks, and they may be unable to maintain a healthy sleep schedule.
In addition, sufferers may have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide. This is especially true for those who have not received proper treatment for their symptoms.
Avoidance and Emotional Dysfunction
A person with PTSD spends a lot of time and energy trying to avoid situations, places, and people that remind them of the traumatic event(s). This behavior can greatly impact their daily lives. They may also self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.
They might have problems with their self-esteem, and they often feel worthless or blame themselves for what happened to them. This leads to a low sense of hope and optimism about their futures, as well.
Mood Shifts and Numbness
PTSD sufferers might experience extreme mood swings, including periods of anger, sadness, or irritability. They might also have periods of numbness, where they don’t feel anything.
This is because the PTSD sufferer is reliving their trauma over and over through flashbacks and dreams. Healing from this condition is possible, but it requires a significant commitment to therapy.
Dissociation
Those with complex PTSD can go through extreme symptoms of dissociation, such as withdrawing into fantasies or forgetting their traumas. They can even develop dissociative identity disorder, which is the correct term for what used to be known as multiple personality disorder.
Loss of a System of Meanings
A person with C-PTSD might lose their core beliefs, values, and religious faith. They might even give up on religion altogether.
They could also lose their ability to think clearly or feel joy, happiness, or love in general. They might have an obsession with the idea of death and dying, or they may become obsessed with finding out what caused their traumatic experiences.
These symptoms are so extreme that many sufferers of complex PTSD will seriously consider suicide, and they may even attempt it. This is why a diagnosis of complex PTSD is so important to anyone who feels like they’re struggling with these symptoms.
