Hi Mem,
The DSM is unfortunately a political organization. Diagnoses are built based on voting consensus, not on any diagnostic tool. Complex PTSD was to go into DSM-4 (under the name of disorders of extreme stress NOS -- unanimously voted for, but when the manual was published, the diagnosis disappeared --- this according to a lecture I listened to by Dr Bessel van der Kolk).
Complex PTSD can have the developmental dimension, however, I see it as being any chronic set of traumas which can begin at some time during development (thus developmental trauma) or can occur chronically starting as an adult or encompass both time frames, as we know children traumatized by their parents often become re-traumatized and re-victimized adults. I feel that no one who actually considers this fairly or logically (without just using an emotional gut level response) could believe that the brain changes in developmental trauma are the same as adult onset, single incident PTSD. Even the research studies and neuro-imaging studies are showing these two different mechanisms of injury to the brain are in no way the same.
One is occurring chronically to a developing brain, changing the very structure and development of the brain.
The other is a psychic trauma visited on the adult, fully-developed brain. If that brain developed under the circumstance of positive childhood experiences than that brain will likely heal easily (likely with EMDR). If that trauma occurred to an already traumatized brain (from developmental trauma) well then this single onset adult trauma (acute on chronic developmental) will be much more difficult to heal.
If the DSM were to acknowledge trauma - actually what medication could you prescribe???
I think it is all political and of course names matter that is what Bessel van der Kolk says in all his lectures (names matter to us patients/those affected who understand what happened to us is not as simple as a one time injury that occurred during adulthood to an already developed brain and names need to matter to professionals who need to know and understand the extent of this injury so they can help and not re-traumatize us, as the names they use, determine the treatment offered). But alas, this, I believe, will remain a political battle like anthropogenic global warming until all of us raise our voices in unison and say.... "There are too many kids we're letting slip through the cracks only to grow up to commit suicide, go to jail, become homeless or raise children that they hurt too... Enough is enough! Developmental (Complex) trauma is real, it is preventable and ALL KIDS MATTER!!! We no longer accept the status quo."