Children who experience trauma may have difficulty trusting others as adults. As CPTSD is a newly recognized condition, medical researchers haven’t been able to do long-term studies about CPTSD. Providers use criteria explained in WHO’s ICD-11 to diagnose CPTSD. However, as CPTSD is a newly recognized condition, some providers may not be aware of it. Another difference is that a person usually develops BPD by young adulthood.
What Connects C-PTSD and Memory Loss?
However, CPTSD is particularly common among those who experienced ongoing trauma during their developmental years — i.e., during childhood. Both PTSD and C-PTSD result from the experience of something deeply traumatic and can cause flashbacks, nightmares, and insomnia. Both conditions can also make you feel intensely afraid and unsafe even though the danger has passed. However, despite these similarities, some characteristics differentiate C-PTSD from PTSD according to some experts. Next time you experience an episode, revisit what you were feeling and thinking just before the flashback or dissociation occurred.
For immediate support
You may feel like you are looking at yourself from above or a different person entirely. This all stems from your mind not having the tools to sort through emotions, thoughts and feelings in the moment. Medications may help reduce symptoms of complex ptsd blackouts C-PTSD, such as anxiety or depression. They are especially helpful when used in combination with psychotherapy. Antidepressants are often used to treat complex PTSD, including Prozac (fluoxetine), Paxil (paroxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline).
Treatment of complex PTSD
This triggering can manifest as a fight-or-flight response triggered by the amygdala, responsible for processing emotions in the brain. The particular situation that triggers a person can be random and varies depending on their specific trauma history. A person can be triggered by situations, images, smells, conversations with others, and more. A person with complex PTSD may experience symptoms in addition to those that characterize PTSD. If you’re in a relationship, you may want to consider couple’s therapy for extra support. It can be helpful to have an objective person in the room to help with communication.
- Research suggests that PTSD reduces social support resources, but that having strong social support helps lessen the impact of the condition.
- Complex PTSD, on the other hand, is related to a series of traumatic events over time or one prolonged event.
- If you’re living with the aftereffects of trauma, you might notice a slow, sluggish mental state known as brain fog getting in the way of your personal or work life.
- Intense emotions might include anger or sadness, and they often seem to come without warning.
Diagnosis and Tests
Complex PTSD, BPD and Personality Disorders
