• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Support for C-PTSD

Status
Not open for further replies.

SugarPlum

New Here
I've joined this forum as a way to hopefully find support and get out of isolation. Over the summer, I read about C-PTSD and it seems to fit what I've experienced. But I'm not finding a lot of support for C-PTSD. I already have a therapist, and I can't afford group therapy or online options I've seen ($50 a month). Facebook groups are not for me. So I'm trying this, even though the last thing I want to do is spend more time looking at a computer screen. I was hoping there would be some low cost options like 12 steps, etc.

Not that it matters so much these days, but I live in the SF Bay Area.
 
I've joined this forum as a way to hopefully find support and get out of isolation.
Hi SugarPlum, You will find support here. This place provides information of all kinds, understanding, and support and a sense of community. If you have looked through the site, there are various forums to take part in. All will provide you with responses that relate to whatever you have voiced or give you opportunity to take part in conversations others have started. One that might be helpful for you would be starting a diary in the Trauma Diaries...I prefer the members only one. You will get lots of support there and find those who can relate to your history in some form or other. As for getting you out of isolation, directly, I can't answer that. I think isolation can be different for each of us. If you are meaning that it will give you someone to talk to, it will do that. But, it is still via the ether world. Physically getting out of isolation is a matter of choice and energy to do so on our own, although, you will get encouragement to do this from this site if you need it. Regardless, many of us here, have a history of Chronic and Childhood abuse. You certainly will be 'around' people who understand. Glad you decided to try us out.
 
Hi SugarPlum, You will find support here. This place provides information of all kinds, understanding, and support and a sense of community. If you have looked through the site, there are various forums to take part in. All will provide you with responses that relate to whatever you have voiced or give you opportunity to take part in conversations others have started. One that might be helpful for you would be starting a diary in the Trauma Diaries...I prefer the members only one. You will get lots of support there and find those who can relate to your history in some form or other. As for getting you out of isolation, directly, I can't answer that. I think isolation can be different for each of us. If you are meaning that it will give you someone to talk to, it will do that. But, it is still via the ether world. Physically getting out of isolation is a matter of choice and energy to do so on our own, although, you will get encouragement to do this from this site if you need it. Regardless, many of us here, have a history of Chronic and Childhood abuse. You certainly will be 'around' people who understand. Glad you decided to try us out.
Thanks for your kind words. Hoping I can find support here.
 
(As I recal, it’s been awhile since I read them) ...The main stated reasons the DSM didn’t add CPTSD in their newest version, whilst the ICD is going a different route... is that 1) treatment for PTSD & CPTSD is identical to date; & 2) You have to have PTSD in order to have CPTSD, which is quirky / not found in any other disorder(s) I’m aware of. There are spectrum disorders, and disorders with variants, but no first this before maaaaaaybe that disorders. It surprised a lot of people that the DSM went that route, but it also makes sense. Just as the ICD classifying it seperately makes sense. The releases the DSM put out about treatment & spectrum / variant disorders certainly gives proponents a road map for the DSMVI / DSM6... but since we’re dealing with the DSM5 for the next several years, that’s a bit of a wait, when you’re looking for treatment options right now

So, part of the reason you may not be finding a lot of treatment options for CPTSD if you’re in the US? There’s no billing code, for it, yet. We DO use ICD codes, but the newest version of the ICD isn’t out, yet. (2022 I think is the target year?) So the only billing codes available for PTSD are in the DSM, which only has PTSD listed.

The easiest solution? (Aside from what you’re already doing, here online!) Look for PTSD treatment, and trauma treatment, and trauma-specific groups.

Different cities/regions tend to focus on different trauma types... which is frustrating as blazes when there are a bazillion and one groups and practitioners in your area for “not-my-trauma” ... but the reason is pretty simple; therapists have bills to pay. So they tend to set up their practices in areas that have a lot of potential clients. Military towns tend to have a lot of combat trauma therapists, LGBTQ therapists cluster in big liberal cities rather than homophobic small towns, gang violence in the inner city of places with a lot of gangs, college towns peer sexual assault resources, cult based trauma in the nearest city to rural cult areas, human trafficking trauma therapists put out their shingle in immigrant areas of port cities & border towns, etc.
 
Last edited:
I understand this with the DSM codes but I am wondering if the C-PTSD/CPTSD is often misunderstood to mean Complex when it is really meant to mean Chronic PTSD? If this is not defined and a person only sees the letters C-PTSD/CPTSD on their records, they could assume, as I had, that these meant "complex", which would also be an accurate definition of my PTSD. I was surprised about this recently when I looked at records used by the psychiatrist and social worker utilize in their summaries after each of our sessions. C-PTSD was written as "Chronic-PTSD". I'm going to have to ask the social worker about this.
 
but I am wondering if the C-PTSD/CPTSD is often misunderstood to mean Complex when it is really meant to mean Chronic PTSD?
Here (Scotland, so NHS) the official term is complex, not chronic. Cos you can have PTSD chronically and not have cptsd. Different, although overlapping, symptoms.
 
I understand this with the DSM codes but I am wondering if the C-PTSD/CPTSD is often misunderstood to mean Complex when it is really meant to mean Chronic PTSD?
Professional Type People shorthand C-PTSD cPTSD c-PTSD (c)PTSD for a lot of different things:

- Chronic PTSD (especially doctors, as PTSD used to be specified as chronic if symptoms lasted for more than a few months, and it was a required specification in an official diagnosis to note if chronic )
- Combat PTSD (esp military doctors who would shorthand MST-PTSD for service linked sexual assault, or MVA-PTSD for a service related non-combat vehicular accident, & CPTSD for Combat PTSD)
- Childhood PTSD (esp college/university docs dealing mostly with recent rape)
- Complex Trauma (not all -or even most- complex trauma leads to PTSD, but clinicians often want a note made in the file that it’s not a single event when arranging resources and treatment, or writing sick notes, applying for disability, etc.)
- Court (Documentation Needed)
- Crime (Mandatory Reporting in some instances, referrals to victims services in others)

Et Cetera.

So... yeah. It’s more than likely that a lot of people have seen the old notes, and assumed the new meaning.

((Edited, as I misread a key bit! Huzzah edit windows, and apologies if anyone waded through the waffle. ))
 
Last edited:
@SugarPlum - if you're located in the US, I would recommend you check out The National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org, and look up your area. They have local chapters, and often have great resources. Sometimes, when it comes to basic mental health, going to group therapy just to deal with mood can be a great help - in other words, it doesn't always need to be specifically PTSD-oriented to be useful.

And of course, glad you're here as well :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top