Seeking a diagnosis for CPTSD (or complex trauma)

[morethancake]

Hi there

This is my first post, so I apologize if I somehow get this wrong.

I think I may have CPTSD or complex trauma and I was wondering how one might go about getting a diagnosis (since its not in the DSM-V)?

I know you shouldn't self diagnose, but nothing else seems to fit or feel right. I know symptomatically CPTSD is quite varied but I recently started reading Jonice Webb's book on childhood emotional neglect and Pete Walker's website on CPTSD and a lot of my wildly varied behaviours suddenly seem to make some sort of sense.

I started down this path as my new psychologist started delving into my childhood and since then I've been doing a lot of reflecting and reading.
I think I've spent most of my life using various coping mechanisms just to get by which might explain why I feel like I've spent my entire life floating or living day to day. Why I've said or done certain things that have hurt people close to me.

I tried CBT with my first psychologist, but it all felt too superficial. Like using tape to cover the cracks instead of finding the source of the problem and putting in structural supports in. I also realised some months in that I had started to say what I thought she wanted to hear, because I was afraid of letting her down (I know, its a bit ironic).

I'm grateful my new psychologist has decided to delve into my past, but I really want to hit the ground running this time instead of just skipping along the surface which is why I thought a diagnosis might help.

[GimZim]

Hey there

I was diagnosed with CPTSD by a psychiatrist around 2 years ago now. You will want a referral to see one if you're looking to get diagnosed. I was curious about the diagnosis since I knew it wasn't in the DSM either. There are actually alternatives to the DSM like the ICD (International Classification of Diseases), etc. You can be diagnosed with things that aren't in the DSM yet as well.

When I was doing more reading on it I saw that PTSD wasn't an official diagnosis until the 1980s, if I remember right, but naturally there were soldiers, particularly ones coming back from the Vietnam war who were diagnosed and treated for it well before then. I also heard that CPTSD has been being suggested for the DSM for a very long time and part of the issue is there are a lot of overlaps with it and Borderline Personality Disorder and arguments about merging them or expanding PTSD to include multiple traumas, etc. It's all very complicated and to reiterate, I'm not a psychiatrist but this is my general understanding. Binge eating disorder was also only very recently added to it but people have been getting diagnosed with that for quite some time.

I really hope this helps you out, definitely try and see a psychiatrist though.

[morethancake]

Hi GimZim

Thankyou so much for the insight. I really appreciate it. I'll try to see my GP and ask about seeing a psychiatrist.

I am a little worried because for a long time I thought I was just playing victim and I just didn't want to put the effort into growing up etc. but I'm beginning to suspect I've just gotten that good at running from, suppressing or masking emotions that I appear to be fine. That is, until I hit a threshold and react explosively.

I think this is part of the reason my first psychologist only worked on the CBT and dealing with the now and not the then, because I was so good at playing off all the things that hurt inside as nothing.

I'll make it a plan to see a psychiatrist though, it can't hurt anyway right?

[Veldelmar]

I'm going through the same things right now, and glad you asked the question like this. I need to seek a psychiatrist as well. Much the same, I got really good at acting and masking, and mimic... to the point after 3 sessions with a counsillor I was passed off as doing fine. I am so not fine. I'm starting to wake up to that now, and also believe I have cPTSD. I also hold it all together until it explodes. Richard on my thread that he's in abit of the same situation and sometimes we need a 'slap to the face' to get going and you might be the same where CBT just isn't cutting it and need something more active to get there.

Anyways, I just wanted to let you know you aren't alone. There are others in the same situation and we support and care about you. I'm working on the same plan with the same thoughts about the psychiatrist, I'm just working on the motivation and trust to talk to the GP. I might just type it all up and tell him I don't know how to talk about it but here I wrote it.

[GimZim]

Hey Veldelmar

I think that writing stuff up for the GP is a really good idea, it's something I've suggested to people before. I'd just write vaguely about what you've experienced, maybe broad terms like "child abuse", "domestic violence", whatever applies. You don't need to go into a lot of detail with the GP or shouldn't, anyway, only what you're comfortable with. And then I'd try and jot down a handful of symptoms, whatever you experience from the trauma.

I've said so in another thread but being high functioning and mentally ill is so difficult in it's own way, it was so hard for me to get adequate treatment. I saw a doctor at around age 15 for depression, she told me I was fine but she'd done a course on CBT and we'd do that, I only went to one of those appointments. I even told her at the time "It's not things that are happening now that are upsetting me, it's my past" but she didn't help. I had to fall to pieces before anyone would listen or help me and I wonder how much better things would have been with early intervention.

Wishing the both of you luck, take care of yourselves as best you can.