I've known for a while that something was wrong with me, but none of the mainstream disorders really matched. It

seemed too good to be true when I read up on C-PTSD and that there might actually be a disorder that describes

what I have (which means I can have the courage to go see a psychologist!).

WHAT THE TRAUMA WAS

- Domestic violence from birth until the age of 20.

Members of my family are:
father (who has Borderline Personality Disorder, among other things)
brother (who has Asperger's syndrome and Social Anxiety Disorder)
mother (who has C-PTSD)
sister (no known mental illness or disorder)

My father, brother and mother all had regular psychotic breakdowns. Usually the breakdowns involved smashing

material things like windows, furniture, doors, and crockery, and sometimes there was violence between 2 or more members of the family. I was usually just a bystander, but occasionally I was attacked. I felt my life was threatened during all episodes, and kept weapons under my pillow in case I was attacked at night. The episodes happened most often when I was in high school. Reasons for their psychotic breakdowns were varied and complex - most of them were related to my father's bullying antisocial behaviour and inability to cope with the fact that his eldest son had Asperger's. During one attack (which I have no memory of and don't know how old I was) my brother tried to murder me through suffocation.

- Psychological bullying and alienation throughout highschool and university. Since I didn't have any emotional family support and already had (I believe) symptoms of C-PTSD, this made the bullying harder to cope with.

- A lot of other traumatic but probably less significant things (like, the day after my last long-term relationship ended, I discovered my ex having sex with someone else)

WHAT THE SYMPTOMS ARE

recurring memories of the traumatic event which you can't seem to get out of your mind - Intrusive Thoughts
Yes

recurring dreams of the trauma - Bad Dreams & Nightmares
Yes

feeling that the traumatic event was happening again (hallucinations, flashbacks) - Reliving The Trauma
No full-on flashbacks but I do get that feeling

things or events act as triggers which remind you or resemble your traumatic event - Flashbacks
Yes

these triggers or reminders make you feel nervous, tense, generate panic attacks - Panic Attacks
Yes

purposely avoiding thoughts, feelings or conversations about trauma - Withdrawn
No - I think it's good to talk about it

deliberately avoiding activities, places and situations about the trauma - Phobias
Yes

when trying to recall the traumatic event you are unable to recall or remember certain things or important aspects that had happened - Memory Loss
Only in one incident

losing interest in people, things and activities (family, friends and hobbies) which were important to you prior
to the traumatic event - Lack of Motivation
N/A - the trauma was chronic so there was no specific event

feeling more emotionally estranged, separated or feeling cut off from others - Alienation
Definitely

feeling a markedly reduced ability to feel emotions, especially those associated wtih intimacy, tenderness and
sexuality - Lacking Emotions
Used to be the case but I've worked on this one a fair bit, still have difficulty with intimacy

difficutly falling or staying asleep - Poor Sleep
Yes

experiencing irritability or outbursts of anger - Rage
When I've been drinking yes

difficulty concentrating on tasks or completing tasks - Poor Concentration
Yes

feeling overtly alert or watchful when you don't need to be - Ever Watchful
Yes

having strong startle reactions - Edgy
Yes

worrying about coping with everyday situations - Lack of Confidence
Yes

difficulty keeping a regular job - Work Difficulties
Studying at uni so I'm not sure but most likely I would if i was working

C-PTSD symptoms

Difficulties regulating emotions, including symptoms such as persistent sadness, suicidal thoughts, explosive

anger, or covert anger, which is characteristic of passive-aggressive behavior
- All of them

Variations in consciousness, such as forgetting traumatic events, reliving traumatic events, or having episodes
of dissociation (during which one feels detached from one's mental processes or body)
Dissociation and reliving traumatic events

Changes in self-perception, such as a sense of helplessness, shame, guilt, stigma, and a sense of being
completely different from other human beings
- guilt, stigma, sense of being completely different from other human beings

Varied changes in the perception of the perpetrator, such as attributing total power to the perpetrator or
becoming preoccupied with the relationship to the perpetrator, including a preoccupation with revenge
- preoccupation with revenge

Alterations in relations with others, including isolation, distrust, or a repeated search for a rescuer
Loss of, or changes in, one's system of meanings, which may include a loss of sustaining faith or a sense of
hopelessness and despair
- all of the above

Hi Comatoze, welcome to the forum.

You will have to see a psych in order to determine if you have PTSD or not. Some people can have the symptoms but not the disorder.

How do you know that your mother has PTSD? Was she diagnosed?

There is a pile of information in the Information sections of the forum and also in the forms and learn buttons at the top of the page. It's a good place to start!

bec

Welcome to the boards! I would also recommend seeing a psych to help figure out and treat what is going on. I have been diagnosed with multiple psych disorders...but none ever seemed to really explain what was going on. When I finally found a therapist who ran a battery of tests and spend some time with me, C-PTSD was the resulting diagnosis. For me, it really helped to know that something came close to describing what was going on with me. Although it is not a diagnosis in the current DSM-IV (C-PTSD is a diagnosis being considered for release in the DSM-V in 2010/11), some psychs and therapists are currently using it.

I concur with the others, the best person to determine if you have PTSD is a professional....I was diagnosed with PTSD in 2002, and now by seeing a trauma therapist she has determined through seeing me a few times and getting to know my baseline...that I have Complex PTSD.

But self diagnosing can be really confusing. It's always best if you feel like you have something going on to try to see someone knowledgable who can determine what exactly that is that you have going on....

Welcome to the forum....

Hi and welcome to the forum...

I've known for a while that something was wrong with me, but none of the mainstream disorders really matched. It seemed too good to be true when I read up on C-PTSD and that there might actually be a disorder that describes what I have (which means I can have the courage to go see a psychologist!).

Hi again.

We can not answer this for you. You need to see a psychiatrist and determine that with them. We do not diagnose on this forum. We are here for support.

I highly suggest you seek professional help to determine if this is the right diagnosis for you.

bec

i don't know but i'v found this good place

I will add to bec's statement that you will only do yourself more harm than good attempting to self diagnose. You need to seek professional help in order off diagnosis.