Research Ptsd / Avoidant Personality Disorder Connection

[7Cs]

Link

The Connection Between PTSD and Avoidant Personality Disorder

 

[EveHarrington]

That sounds like me.

Then again so does PPD and when I made a loooooong list of my paranoid symptoms my doc said it stemmed from trauma and didn't warrant a separate diagnosis.

I think in my case I am ok "normal" when not in PTSD mode and a personality disorder is more pervasive into all aspects/moments of life------not wavering so much.

 

[7Cs]

That sounds like me.

Then again so does PPD and when I made a loooooong list of my paranoid sym...

I agree, even though I have all those symptoms they are very well explained by my trauma and therefore probably wouldn't qualify for a personality disorder.

 

[Friday]

Since avoidance is a required symptom of PTSD? It goes to follow that people with PTSD are going to be some degree of pathologically avoidant. To what degree will vary from person to person, but the symptom actually has to be there.

We talk about Citerion A (causes) & Criterion H (exclusions) a fair bit; but there are 6 other letters between A & H that cover symptoms. :D

Criteria C

Criteria C is specifically about persistently avoiding anything related to your trauma, avoiding talking, feeling or having memories about the event. Distraction techniques are internal avoidance cues, avoiding places or people who arouse recollections of your trauma.

PTSD Diagnosis - What is PTSD? Understand The Signs of PTSD

C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidence by one or both of the following:

1. Avoidance of or efforts to avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s).
2. Avoidance of or efforts to avoid external reminders (people, places, conversations, activities, objects, situations) that arouse distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s).

Diagnostic Criteria for 309.41 (F43.10) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 

[Sandstone]

The article doesn't mention any sequence, but given that personality disorders are defined by DSM as
"An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture, is pervasive and inflexible, has an onset in adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to distress or impairment."
then the PD would seem to be the precipitant of PTSD, rather than the other way around.

 

[EveHarrington]

The article doesn't mention any sequence, but given that personality disorders are defined by DSM as...

Good point.

I personally fail on the inflexible part (for starters). My issues that perhaps fall in the PD realm are constantly in flux. Good PTSD day means I'm ok, bad PTSD day means I can be paranoid as all get out, avoidant as heck.

 

[7Cs]

The article doesn't mention any sequence, but given that personality disorders are defined by DSM as...

Unless the person has complex ptsd from childhood traumas or simply ptsd from childhood traumas. Then the symptoms of avoidance would be there their whole life.