Prolonged, repeated or extreme traumatic experiences can cause a more alarming form of post-traumatic stress disorder called Complex PTSD. These experiences may be childhood sexual abuse, long-term domestic violence, or being held hostage or as a prisoner of a war camp. Just like in PTSD, healthy individuals can suddenly experience changes in how they cope with stress and how they see themselves under severe circumstances.
The symptoms of complex PTSD are much more severe than the usual PTSD. These symptoms include severe behavioral difficulties. Individuals suffering from Complex PTSD often resort to alcohol or drug abuse. They also often develop eating disorders and experience extreme aggression. They also find it very difficult to control intense emotions such as panic and anger. They may experience persistent sadness and depression. Suicidal thoughts also enter their minds. They also feel unsafe most of the time, if not all the time. Distrust eats up their thoughts and they become preoccupied with the idea of revenge. Other mental difficulties and disorders also start to manifest. Some suffer from amnesia and dissociation. Because patients lose their coherent sense of self, some find themselves having Dissociative Identity Disorder, also known as Multiple Personality Disorder, a serious mental condition. Borderline Personality Disorder is also highly indicative of Complex PTSD. In fact, it has been increasingly viewed as a type of Complex PTSD.
Treatment for Complex PTSD is a little different from the usual PTSD in several important ways. Treatments for PTSD focus on the impact of specific events in the past and the processing of trauma memories. Treatments for Complex PTSD should also focus on problems that lead to more functional impairment. These problems are dissociation, interpersonal problems, and emotional dysregulation.
Some patients with Complex PTSD are treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with psychoeducation and other approaches. For some patients, especially children, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is used and is considered to be highly effective. This treatment focuses on post-traumatic, depressive, and anxiety symptoms. It also addresses trauma-associated cognitive distortions. TF-CBT includes several core components which include psychoeducation, cognitive processing, creation of a trauma narrative, and Affect Regulation skills.