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| | Notices | Welcome to PTSD Forum. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a life threatening, debilitating disorder that can break down a sufferer’s body through anxiety and stress. Further it poses a significant suicide risk resulting from the brains neurological imbalance and chemical depression. Sufferers often live in denial, thus this community is aimed at helping PTSD sufferers help themselves through others experiences, guidance and education. We are here for the sufferer, spouse and families surrounding PTSD. Spouses and family are too often forgotten in this equation, and often they receive all the worst that PTSD has to offer. If you're involved in any way with PTSD, get registered and help yourself now. Non-active members will eventually be deleted. If you are not a sufferer, carer or someone within the mental health industry, and active, then there is little reason for you to be a member of this forum. Non-active members with zero posts are deleted periodically during the year. |  | | 
30-03-2008, 09:39 AM
|  | Moderator Chat PTSD Forum | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: North Carolina, USA
Posts: 766
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Auburngirl 
It seems that delayed onset and chronic could co-exist though. | I agree - it leads me to believe that these terms are used as an initial diagnosis (mostly for insurance purposes); as they all are PTSD and PTSD doesn't "go away". |
31-03-2008, 01:20 AM
|  | | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Midwest, USA
Posts: 449
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This was discussed briefly in one of the Introduction threads a few months back. From the DSM-IV: Quote:
309.81 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Specify if:
Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than 3 months
Chronic: if duration of symptoms is 3 months or more
Specify if:
With Delayed Onset: if onset of symptoms is at least 6 months after the stressor
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01-04-2008, 02:58 AM
| | | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 140
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I don't think chronic is if it arises 3 months after, but as upstream says, if it lasts 3 months or more. |
01-04-2008, 03:40 AM
| | Moderator Chat PTSD Forum | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: North Carolina, USA
Posts: 766
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My understanding is that PTSD is incurable (symptoms can be managed, however, the brain's chemical process can not be reverted) therefore, once PTSD is diagnosed, there is no need to label how long PTSD lasts. The labeling is there (at least it seems to me) to provide information to researchers, doctors and insurance companies about when the actual symptoms of PTSD manifested.
To say that chronic PTSD is PTSD that lasts for more than 3 months makes no sense. All PTSD lasts for more than three months. The symptoms may not last for more than 3 months, the PTSD is still there. |
01-04-2008, 04:06 AM
| | | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 140
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I think this is the standard DSM IV definition:
Types of PTSD
There are three types of PTSD: acute, chronic, and delayed onset. In acute PTSD, symptoms last less than 3 months. In chronic PTSD, symptoms last 3 months or more. In delayed onset PTSD, symptoms first appear at least 6 months after the traumatic event.
I think I do know someone who had acute though, but she had symptoms for years, maybe she just didn't fit the definition of PTSD specifically beyond 3 months. Who knows? I don't think these categories mean that much, real life tends to be less easily categorised. |
01-04-2008, 04:24 AM
|  | | | Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 422
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Ok, thanks all. I think I'm still a little confused, but at the same time, I guess it really doesn't matter all that much. Whatever it is, PTSD is PTSD, and whether I have chronic, or whatever, the point is the memories and feelings are there. |
01-04-2008, 05:36 AM
| | Moderator Chat PTSD Forum | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: North Carolina, USA
Posts: 766
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blargh, this whole thing has me confused 
My current therapist diagnosed me as having Acute PTSD (I have complex PTSD but since that is not in the DSM he can't put that diagnosis on formal paperwork that I'm sending to my insurance company). Anyway, my PTSD goes back to when I was 8 years old and I started dissociating at that time. I'm 30 and have suffered symptoms for 22 years. Not that I really care about the label, but now my interest is piqued.  |
01-04-2008, 08:26 AM
| | | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 140
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I think I've also had so many (other) labels thrown at me because I also have complex PTSD which is not in the DSM. Though insurance isn't an issue in this case, I have no idea what's written down. |
01-04-2008, 01:59 PM
| | | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 181
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I'm about as clear as mud on this. If you have PTSD, YOU HAVE PTSD!!! |
02-04-2008, 12:40 PM
|  | Administrative Editor PTSD | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 7,283
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Quote:
Originally Posted by upstream This was discussed briefly in one of the Introduction threads a few months back. From the DSM-IV: | Sorry, what upstream said here is the one I meant to quote.... this is as per the DSM. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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