Other Post-traumatic embitterment disorder

[Rose White]

I learned about a new thing! I think this might help me understand when people post about an event that happened to them which does not seem to line up with PTSD but is causing them significant stress from anger, fury, grief, etc to the point where they are debilitated.

Post-traumatic embitterment disorder - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

PTED is where someone experiences an event that from an outsider’s view seems like not that big of a deal, but it triggers something in the patient where their life is changed significantly and irreversibly. They become consumed with rage or grief and perceive that they have been gravely mistreated. It responds well to CBT and DBT.

It’s interesting to me that the word trauma is still included in the description of the disorder. It’s a good reminder for me that trauma isn’t defined by an outsider. Trauma is defined by the person who experiences it. Which is why not everyone who experiences violent or sexual assaults and threats develops PTSD. For some it is simply not traumatic. A witness can develop PTSD from an event in which the person who experienced it does not.

The definition of trauma is interesting. I guess crit A doesn’t make it trauma, rather crit A qualifies the symptoms to be categorized as a stress disorder. Non crit A, I suppose, would fall under embitterment disorder, according to some researchers.

I am realizing that embitterment is something that many people with PTSD deal with, on top of the other symptoms.

 

[whiteraven]

Really interesting, @Rose White!

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

I learned about a new thing! I think this might help me understand when people post about an event that happened to them which does not seem to line up with PTSD but is causing them significant stress from anger, fury, grief, etc to the point where they are debilitated.

Post-traumatic embitterment disorder - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

PTED is where someone experiences an event that from an outsider’s view seems like not that big of a deal, but it triggers something in the patient where their life is changed significantly and irreversibly. They become consumed with rage or grief and perceive that they have been gravely mistreated. It responds well to CBT and DBT.

It’s interesting to me that the word trauma is still included in the description of the disorder. It’s a good reminder for me that trauma isn’t defined by an outsider. Trauma is defined by the person who experiences it. Which is why not everyone who experiences violent or sexual assaults and threats develops PTSD. For some it is simply not traumatic. A witness can develop PTSD from an event in which the person who experienced it does not.

The definition of trauma is interesting. I guess crit A doesn’t make it trauma, rather crit A qualifies the symptoms to be categorized as a stress disorder. Non crit A, I suppose, would fall under embitterment disorder, according to some researchers.

I am realizing that embitterment is something that many people with PTSD deal with, on top of the other symptoms.

@Rose White
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Freida]

Wow - that is interesting!

 

[arfie]

an event that happened to them which does not seem to line up with PTSD but is causing them significant stress from anger, fury, grief, etc to the point where they are debilitated

perhaps i am misinterpreting, but i think that, at present, that is a "trigger event" within my own understanding. where a turn of phrase, physical similarity or whatever triggers recall of a traumatic event. the resulting symptomatic responses can drag on for days, weeks or months.

but then, i am a far better engineer than psychoanalyst. for my sibs-in-healing, i don't believe it is my "job" to understand you. my job is to support you until you understand yourself. what **i** do or don't understand shouldn't have much impact on **your** life.

 

[Rose White]

perhaps i am misinterpreting, but i think that, at present, that is a "trigger event" within my own understanding. where a turn of phrase, physical similarity or whatever triggers recall of a traumatic event

I think the idea is that the traumatic event isn’t one that falls under criterion A and is interpreted as a grave insult to the person’s sense of self. In the Wikipedia article it says something like “an event where someone’s core beliefs are heavily violated.” So instead of the physical body being assaulted one’s mindset is, for lack of a better word, assaulted. And the preoccupation with revenge becomes chronic and debilitating even to the point of losing custody of their own life. Key is that there is no history of trauma or personality disorder or adjustment disorder.

I was using the word trigger differently than an event that causes a flashback. I was using it to mean an event that leads to a breakdown of one’s sense of self.

 

[CooCoo4CocoaPuffs]

I’ve been ruminating on my c**t of a mother (wish I wasn’t, I’m no contact) and oooooohhh that part about revenge scratched my angry itch. I ve fantasied thousands of times about getting revenge on some evil demons; planned out how I would do it and what would happen.

Now that I’ve woken up from the fog of my NPD mother I have revenge fantasies about her now, too.

She TORTURED me! For years. FML! Now it’s too late for me to beat her ass! she’s too old. I’d go to prison and she’s not worth prison. No wonder my blood pressure is so high.

 

[CooCoo4CocoaPuffs]

I think the idea is that the traumatic event isn’t one that falls under criterion A and is interpreted as a grave insult to the person’s sense of self. In the Wikipedia article it says something like “an event where someone’s core beliefs are heavily violated.” So instead of the physical body being assaulted one’s mindset is, for lack of a better word, assaulted. And the preoccupation with revenge becomes chronic and debilitating even to the point of losing custody of their own life. Key is that there is no history of trauma or personality disorder or adjustment disorder.

I was using the word trigger differently than an event that causes a flashback. I was using it to mean an event that leads to a breakdown of one’s sense of self.

One of my traumas vaporized my belief in first responders, help from others, justice etc. Gone. It stripped away my belief that I was a good person, removed any illusions of safety.

Anger, loathing, self-loathing, guilt, shame, revenge fantasies was my replacements.

 

[brokenpony]

interesting. this seems to be a proposed disorder still? i’m trying to understand it. i think i kinda do but i’m trying to think of examples of a singular event not Crit A that could cause this much damage that a person loses their entire life to it, to the point it is even called "post-traumatic" in symptoms. divorce seems to be one example on google. i guess i could see an unwanted divorce having that effect but the loss of a marriage is a pretty big event in your life. something like "personal insult" isn't really on that scale. but something like "being cancelled" on social media, enduring public shame of that magnitude, yeah. hmm.