Post-traumatic stress disorder is a well-known mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Some trauma survivors face a more severe, challenging form of this disorder known as complex PTSD, which stems from prolonged, repeated trauma over months or years.
Distinguishing C-PTSD From PTSD
Unlike PTSD, which can develop from a single incident, C-PTSD relates to a series of scenarios like long-term domestic abuse, repeated childhood sexual or physical abuse and extended experiences of warfare or combat.
While PTSD and C-PTSD share symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares and hyperarousal, C-PTSD includes additional complications that may affect your emotional regulation and self-perception. Mental health professionals suggest that the diagnostic criteria for PTSD do not fully capture the broad and persistent effects of C-PTSD.
- Persistent sadness or suicidality: You may experience longstanding feelings of gloom or thoughts of suicide that you cannot connect to a specific source.
- Emotional dysregulation: Explosive anger, persistent melancholy or irritability can make you a difficult person to be around.
- Negative self-perception: Feelings of helplessness, shame, guilt, or stigma; believing you must be completely different from other people.
- Interpersonal difficulties: Problems in sustaining relationships, mistrusting others or seeking rescue.
- Detachment: Disconnecting from yourself, as if you are watching your life play out without you.
- Preoccupations: Abuse survivors can become fixated on seeking revenge or taking power away from the person who hurt them.
Symptoms and Health Impacts of C-PTSD
Survivors of complex trauma may find themselves in a nearly permanent state of hypervigilance, where their brains expect danger even in safe environments. This heightened state of anxiety can lead to difficulty concentrating, insomnia and a general sense of being physically and mentally drained. Physical symptoms often accompany these psychological effects, including headaches, digestive issues and chronic pain.
People living with C-PTSD frequently experience concurrent mental health issues like anxiety and depression, which often overlap with addiction. You may self-medicate with alcohol or drugs to alleviate your distressing symptoms, leading to a dual diagnosis of substance use disorder and C-PTSD. This combination can create a self-perpetuating cycle, exacerbating the symptoms and complicating recovery.
Importance of Integrated Treatment
Addressing C-PTSD requires a multifaceted approach, particularly when it overlaps with addiction. Hemet Valley Recovery Center & Sage Retreat offers a complete continuum of care in an accredited, hospital-based setting.
A commitment to clinical excellence separates HVRC from other addiction rehab facilities. Our integration with a fully functioning hospital allows our medical professionals to offer advanced treatments like fully supervised detoxification and withdrawal symptom management.
Additionally, our facility offers the best of both worlds. While we provide all the medical advantages of a hospital, we’ve crafted a welcoming and relaxed environment that feels like home. Our tailored programming allows every client to receive the appropriate level of supervision and support at each stage of recovery. Our clinical team understands the intricacies of dual diagnoses and offers compassionate care to help you heal. Reach out to put recovery within your reach.