Can You Be Officially Diagnosed With CPTSD Even Though It's Not In The DSM-IV?

[teknisa]

More will be revealed with the DSM V in 2012... where it will all become official for insurance purposes... but it is still recognised now by the mental health field as a legitimate diagnosis.

The psychologist that I saw at the time specializes in ptsd in general and has seen people with all types of traumas, cptsd is the diagnosis she gave me *shrug*

I personally feel that the separation has to do with major childhood trauma or ongoing trauma in relation to just an event that happened at a point in someones life, like a car accident.

I also suffered a major identity crisis when I was 16 and still continue to have a loss of sense of self due to people in my life, mostly my parents, trying to control what I do, what I say, and how I behave or feel, and not letting me be myself. My parents put a lot of emphisis on grades in school, because I didn't get good grades I was not allowed to go out and have a social life. I'm met with the self doubting questions of 'who am I?' and 'What planet do I live on?' I have a difficult time getting people to take me seriously or acknowledge what I am saying, and especially have a hard time getting people to take my NO as a no. Most of the time I feel I'm speaking a language that doesn't exist on earth.

Perhaps this might give insight to cptsd and what I'm experiencing as someone who has it.

 

[tgrl]

I just wanted to clarify, since many of these questions are from the U.S. I don't know how other In the U.S., insurance agencies may use DSM diagnosis guidelines and accept that, but for U.S. law, including any type of disablity, goverment, or military, they have their own set of laws spelled out, and they do not actually go by the DSM, but by their own governing laws. They do take the diagnosis into consideration, but usually it's only a technicality or a first step.

There are varying levels, or degrees of PTSD severity. I believe there are six different levels of severity used by the U.S. military alone. U.S. regular disability, uses what's called a global functioning score, or GFS score. And they use other factors in additon to that also. They also do not accept any type of diagnosis/ assement from a social worker. Phd Psychologist only.

 

[anthony]

DVA here use a similar system tgrl... very valid points. The Australian diagnostic system however follows through to all Government agencies, ie. PTSD is the diagnosis. Severity for compensation or disability though, that is a different ball game.

Very good point raised. Insurance companies often just make-up their own shit... to payout the least possible amount of money.

 

[tgrl]

Here's a slight correction to my above post. The regular disability score, is actually called a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score. Sorry about that.

 

[anthony]

Yes... the GAF is a global standard of measurement. GAF is used on this forums PTSD assessment form. It is what psychiatrists use to measure the degree of a symptom, which does form a part of the diagnostic criteria. People think that if they meet the criteria as they read it within the DSM or ICD, then they have it. It has never worked that way... that is a misconception of an untrained person. GAF and other country rating systems are used to determine the extent and severity of each symptom within a possible diagnostic criteria, which actually determines whether or not you have the diagnosis.

What you mention with GAF is standard across the mental health industry and the majority of the world use that system. Some countries or physicians use other systems which really do the same thing, they just go about it a different way. This type of information is already available within the information sections.

 

[anthony]

A clear example could be, using this forums scoring form which is based on the majority of mental health practitioners; you can have each and every symptom to meet the basic assessment, however; if on completion of the form the GAF score is not within the right scale or above the required scale, then the output will be more accurately assessed towards ASD, not PTSD, being it has near exact criteria except is used for those who meet the lower score set.

Only problem is that many physician forget all this useful information or they don't know it for this type of diagnosis, because they are not experts at it. This can often be an issue when a general mental health professional broad strokes every diagnosis within the DSM... you cannot be an expert at all of them.

 

[tgrl]

Phd psychologists use GAF also, and they are the ones required to do the elvaluation, or a psychiatrist. But U.S. law is not bound by it. I'll try to find it on the site.

 

[Auburngirl]

Just a note - that at least in my experience, and in my province, in Canada "official diagnosis" doesn't seem to be that important. I was told I "met the criteria for PD, DDNOS and CPTSD or DESNOS" and actually asked what I thought about the latter two (I was given some journal articles to read). Whether I fit anything specifically didn't seem to matter that much. The info I've found about how psychiatrists are paid here (and it wasn't that easy to find) is that they are paid by time slot and depending on what they are doing (individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, children, adults, medication consultation). And for all specialists a referral is needed from your GP every 6 months (which my psychiatrist seems to take care of).

We actually haven't discussed anything around diagnoses for probably a year. I'd be interested to see CPTSD get in the DSM though. I wonder where they'll put it.

 

[Auburngirl]

also- I've just checked and DESNOS is also not in the DSM (yet, at least). I was told CPTSD and DESNOS were two competing frames for trauma-related disorders that didn't quite fit PTSD.

 

[anthony]

Actually, it is. Any disorder currently that fits the realm of the major category, Anxiety, though does not meet the specific criteria of any of the current listings, can be classified as Not Otherwise Specified (NOS). DESNOS stands for Disorders Of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified. People who wrote about that one, forgot to look at the NOS category, which is exactly what this fits... Anxiety related illness not otherwise specified. One could fit CPTSD under this category if they desired, though PTSD is the better match to date from the DSM's current writing.

http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/nos.htm

This designation abbreviated NOS can be used when the mental disorder appears to fall within the larger category but does not meet the criteria of any specific disorder within that category.

 

[Auburngirl]

wouldn't that be Anxiety Disorder not Otherwise Specified though? PTSD is currently classified in the larger category of anxiety disorders.

I'm pretty familiar with the NOS option, as I have DDNOS and, as I said, either CPTSD or DESNOS.

 

[anthony]

Yes, I believe the official term would be "Anxiety Disorder Not Otherwise Specified."