i don't know whether i am/have complex-PTSD/DESNOS. i am going to discuss the issue further with my counsellor. she thinks it is a reasonable path to follow given the fact that i match the clinical checklist pretty closely.
I've been trying to explore the reasons and roots of the anger and the panic attacks and the flashbacks and the triggers for some time now. The workbook I am using lists the following:
1. Alteration in regulation of affect (emotion) and impulses
- chronic affect dysregulation (your emotions have a life of their own)
- difficulty modulating (managing and regulating) anger
- self-destructive or suicidal behaviours
- difficulty modulating sexual involvement
- impulsive or risk-taking behaviours
2. Alterations in attention or consciousness
- amnesia
- transient dissassociative episodes (short periods of zoning out)
- depersonalization
3. Somatization (how your body holds your trauma)
- digestive system problems
- chronic pain
- cardiopulmonary symptoms
- conversion symptoms (psychological problems that get converted into physical symptoms - eg, hits with a hammer on the back of a child become unexplained back spasms for the adult)
- sexual symptoms
- panic
4. Alterations in self-perception (how you see yourself)
- chronic guilt, shame, and self-blame
- feeling that you are permanently damaged
- feeling ineffective
- feeling nobody understands you
- minimizing the importance of the traumatic events in your life
5. Alterations in perception of the perpetrator (this is not needed for a diagnosis of complex PTSD)
- adopting the distorted beliefs of the perpetrator about yourself, others, and what happened as true
- idealizing of the perpetrator
- preoccupation with hurting the perpetrator
6. Alterations in relations with others
- inability to trust
- revictimizing yourself
- victimizing others
7. Alterations in systems of meaning (how you see life, others, and spirituality)
- despair, hopelessness
- loss of beliefs that had previously sustained you
What is Complex PTSD?
If you have complex PTSD, you may have some or all of these personality issues:
1. You may have problems with your ability to regulate emotions, especially anger.
2. You may find it hard to "stay present" without becoming Amnesiac (unable to remember), dissassociative (spaced out), depersonalized, or preoccupied with the trauma
3. You may not see yourself as a functioning individual who can avoid feeling helpless, shameful, guilty, stigmatized, alone, special, or full of self-blame.
4. You may not have the ability to separate yourself from your abuser or perpetrator's introjects as true(Introjects are someone else's beliefs that you take into your head as your own and then believe)
5. You may not have the ability to have positive, healthy relationships with others without being isolated, withdrawing, being extremely distrustful, failing repeatedly to protect yourself, or constantly searching for someone to rescue you (or for someone you can rescue).
6. You may not have the ability to find meaning in your life and maintain faith, hopefulness, and a sense of the future without feeling despair and hopelessness
all of the above taken from The PTSD Workbook: Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress Symptoms, Mary Beth WIlliams and Soili Poijula, copyright 2002, New Harbinger Publications
the elements of the above that i do not exhibit are easier to list the the ones i do...
- self-destructive or suicidal behaviours
- dificulty modulating sexual involvement
- impulsive or risk-taking behaviours
that's it. even the impulsive or risk-taking behaviours is a bit of an issue
“All I want is for the baby to be healthy!”
8 months ago
6 comments:
You may call it PTSD, I call it the side effects of living with an addict.
As long as you get healthy, it doesn't matter what it's called.
yeharr
ballon pirate: you will get no argument from me
"Results. We observed significant spousal association for lifetime presence of affective disorders and for the spectrum of antisocial personality and addiction disorders. Antisocial personality in one spouse was also associated with anxiety disorders in the other spouse, namely post-traumatic stress disorder in wives and phobia in husbands; similarly, drug abuse/dependence in wives was associated with generalized anxiety in husbands and male drug abuse/dependence was associated with female post-traumatic stress disorder. Dysthymia [a form of depression] in wives was associated with generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in husbands."
Spouse similarity for lifetime psychiatric history in the general population
"Alcoholism also has negative effects on the spouse of an alcoholic. The spouse may have feelings of hatred, self-pity, avoidance of social contacts, may suffer exhaustion and become physically or mentally ill (Berger, 1993).Very often the spouse has to perform the roles of both parents. Family responsibilities shift from two parents to one parent."
"Members of alcoholic’s families very often become codependent. “Codependency is an unconscious addiction to another person’s abnormal behavior” (Wekesser, 1994, p.168). Most alcoholics have periods when they stop drinking for a short while and seemingly do well, leading the codependent person to believe that the problem can be solved. Often people who don’t know the alcoholic very well don’t suspect any problem. The alcoholic’s codependent family members do everything possible to hide the problem, preserve the family’s prestige and project the image of a “perfect family”. The spouse and children may avoid making friends and bringing other people home, in order to hide problems caused by alcoholism. Codependent members often forget about their own needs and desires. They devote their lives to attempt to control or cure the drinker."
Alcoholism and Its Effect on the Family
"People with PTSD tend to have abnormally high levels of key hormones involved in response to stress. A person in danger produces high levels of natural opiates, which can temporarily mask pain. Scientists have found that people with PTSD continue to produce those higher levels even after the danger has passed, which might lead to the blunted emotions associated with the condition."
http://psychologytoday.com/conditions/ptsd.html
I dealt with a serious bout of diagnosed PTSD not too long ago.
The therapy, talking about it, and writing helped a little.
But the MOST therapeutic thing?
TIme.
It truly heals.
And eventually, you accept and (in a bizarre way) APPRECIATE the event for what it was and it becomes not so present in your daily life...
I dealt with a Cocaine addict for almost 4 years...It was horrible and I believed if I loved him enough I could save him... what mistake .. I suffered greatly for that and so did other relationships.. it took me a long time to realize my worth.... I never called it anything what I went through after the relationship expired.. I just came alive again. Its good you are getting counseling..sometimes they can help you sort out the disorganised and then help you sort through whatever has got you... Good luck with that.. and thanks also for stoping by my blog .. let me know how you liked the potatos.... I will be posting more recipes as I find ones I like... Ohh by the way... I did a great dinner last night with oriental Tofu.. I will be posting that recipe later today...
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