There is some confusion about the differences and similarities between PTSD and CPTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) sound alike but although they have some similar symptoms, they are completely different disorders.
In this article, we shall examine together the differences and similarities of these two life-changing diagnoses.
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder develops when a person experiences or witnesses something frightening, shocking, dangerous, or scary. Most people recover from such experiences, but some people develop short-term or ongoing symptoms including re-experiencing the event(s) through flashbacks or nightmares, avoiding places, events or objects which remind them of what they experienced, or arousal symptoms like being easily startled.
Some people develop a latent form of post-traumatic stress disorder that does where the symptoms do not appear until years after the traumatic event occurred.
More symptoms of PTSD may include:
- spontaneous or cued recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic events
- recurrent distressing dreams in which the content or effect (i.e. feeling) of the dream is related to the events
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For more information on CPTSD, including resources and materials to help in healing and living with Complex PTSD symptoms, head over to CPTSDfoundation.org.
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