CPTSD or PTSD Misdiagnosis

Before I start, I would like to put out a disclaimer. I’m not a licensed therapist or a coach. I’m speaking based on my own experience, also from things I’ve learned through listening to podcasts and doing my own research. Please don’t hesitate to consult a therapist if you need to. There is nothing to be ashamed about it and taking care of your mental health is an important part of your well being.

In my last article, I mentioned I would talk about the misdiagnosis of Complex PTSD or PTSD. These are some of the information I found and I know it’s not much, but I just want to shed some light on this topic.

Here are a few helpful examples you can read about Complex PTSD or PTSD Misdiagnosis:

• PTSD can take time to develop, and can easily be misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety, because some of the symptoms are similar, but the most important thing is to get a correct diagnosis, because the treatments available can be very different to those available for depression and anxiety.

Is PTSD Being Misdiagnosed?

• Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) misdiagnosis happens out of ignorance. People who have survived complex trauma, especially the trauma of sexual abuse, often display similar symptoms as those who live with BPD.
  

Complex PTSD and Misdiagnosis: It Happens More Than You Know

• Several symptoms of PTSD can easily be misconstrued as being caused by another disorder. A common example of this occurring is in children who get diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but who are actually showing symptoms of PTSD. This overlap is especially prominent in the symptom dimension of PTSD involving alterations in arousal and reactivity. This includes difficulty concentrating, which is also represented in the inattention criterion of ADHD. It also includes irritability or aggression and risky or destructive behaviour, which can be seen in the impulsivity aspect of ADHD. Additionally, the hyperactivity subtype of ADHD, involving fidgeting, restlessness, and always seeming “on the go,” can look very much like behaviours displayed because of the hyper-vigilance and heightened startle reactions seen in individuals with PTSD Another disorder with overlapping symptomology is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or what most people just call anxiety. In this case, the overlap falls across multiple symptom dimensions of PTSD. Under the intrusion symptoms category, the similarities in symptomology are more physical reactions. For example, one of the symptoms for GAD is sleep disturbance, and one of the symptoms for PTSD is nightmares, which would cause sleep disturbance. One of the main points in the diagnosis of MDD is depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day. This mood is also likely to be present in individuals with PTSD, as some of the symptoms include negative affect, feeling isolated, and difficulty experiencing positive affect. How PTSD Commonly Gets Misdiagnosed
  

• PTSD can be over-diagnosed and also inaccurately/inappropriately diagnosed. It is arguably one of the most misdiagnosed psychological disorders. The Misdiagnosis of PTSD
  

• The difficulty of correctly identifying C-PTSD is a product of the fact that none of its characteristic symptoms are, taken on their own, unique. If a sufferer describes his or her symptoms, then it is likely that they will correspond to one of the personality disorders in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Misdiagnosis is especially likely because C-PTSD itself is still not included in the DSM and many professionals charged with the responsibility of diagnosis are not aware of its prevalence or sometimes even its existence. To confound matters further, C-PTSD is often comorbid with various diagnoses (i.e, personality disorders, major depressive disorder) so it may be missed even when a correct diagnosis (of the comorbid disorder) is made. The Unique Features of Complex PTSD

Just a reminder, it’s crucial to your healing journey to find the right trauma informed therapist. I’ve consulted two and I’m still not satisfied with my progress. I love both of them, because they were able to help me in some way. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s lacking something. Talk therapy helps a lot and I know that I also have to do my own inner work, but it’s not enough. I want to understand things better and even though I’ve been doing a lot of research, it’s quite tricky to be your own therapist. My therapist at the moment doesn't quite understand flashbacks, so it’s a bit difficult to connect with her. It has been tough for me, being bombarded with nightmares and flashbacks leaves me tired all the time. I barely get a decent sleep and I wake up almost every hour or in the middle of the night. Sometimes I feel scared to even go back to sleep, because I’m afraid to have the same dream. A lot of times I wake up drenched in sweat and sometimes close to having a panic attack.

Let me share with you a bit of my journey. My family thinks everything’s okay with me once they see me smiling a little (which I haven’t done in a very long while). Well, they’re wrong and of course I make an effort to be positive. They think I just have depression and that it’s not that serious of an illness/injury. I’ve tried explaining it to them over and over, but they just don’t understand it. There are times that I forget that I’m still healing and I end up having a major breakdown. I go back to blaming myself for all the abuse that I experienced and I’m blinded with so much pain that I’m not able to see or acknowledge my progress. I’ve lost count on how many panic attacks and meltdowns I’ve had the past couple of months. It’s been very tough since no one in my family understands the depth of what I am going through. So, when they ask I just always say I’m managing. Pain is different for everyone and what can be traumatic for me, might not be traumatic for the other person. It’s not a competition either.

I tried opening up to someone very dear to me, she ends up comparing something traumatic that happened to her as well and I end up feeling invalidated. I remember sharing a story with her and she ended up comparing me to the jewish refugees who suffered so much in the camp during the war. I love her to death and I know she means well. I know that she also had a painful past that every time I open up to her, she gets triggered. When I confront her about it, she ends up getting upset and becomes defensive. I can feel her pain and despite the fact that I want to help her, I can’t as I am still processing my own traumas. Which makes me sad, because I want to be there for her too. My point is, in order to understand each other better we should set aside our ego and learn how to listen without judgement. Have more compassion with each other, because we all need it.

Sidenote, it’s improved a little and I think they’re now slowly understanding things. I really hope so, because I’m really doing the best I can and I know they are too.

Why am I sharing this story to you? It’s because I want other people to be more aware about these things. It’s a lot of work supporting someone who has PTSD or CPTSD and the best thing to do is to educate yourself to have a better understanding. Depression is part of PTSD/CPTSD, but there’s more to it and although it’s helpful to root out the cause of depression; that shouldn’t be the focus of the treatment when it comes to the said injury. I call it an injury, because I don’t think it’s an illness. Like an accident, it’s something unpredictable that happens to you and then you recover from it. For example, you fell off a tree and you broke your arm. You go to the hospital and the doctor tells you that you have a fractured bone. Then let’s say the doctor asks you to put a cast on it and then recommend physiotherapy afterwards for you to regain mobility of your arm. In the same way I see PTSD/CPTSD just like the example I gave you. I believe that you can overcome it with the right help, treatment and support. I hope you get my point and that I made sense. I’m just trying my best to explain my own understanding about this topic and if I’m wrong, please correct me. Please don’t hesitate to send me a message, because I would love to learn and have more understanding about all of this.

Okay, let’s go back to what I was saying about finding the right trauma informed therapist. It’s very important that you do, so you can have a better understanding of what you’re going through. My first doctor focused on depression, reminded me to be mindful and asked me to do some grounding techniques. I didn’t have much time with her, because it’s quite pricey to have a session with her every week and like I said earlier I just felt that there was something lacking. I also mentioned earlier that my present doctor doesn’t quite understand flashbacks and even though she acknowledged my trauma, it’s still a bit hard to connect with her. I’m still grateful for both of them, because they helped me dig deeper and root out everything. As of the moment, I am still looking for a specialised CPTSD/PTSD therapist or coach so I can have a better understanding of everything and regain myself back. I am aware that everything’s not going to be like it used to and it is a bit terrifying to put myself back out there again after everything, but I will not give up.

I believe things happen for a reason and even though I may not understand it fully why all these things happened. I believe that God has a purpose for it and I am holding on to His promises for my life. He is the only reason why I made it this far. I believe that He is molding me right now to be stronger and wiser, so that I can be of help to others as well.

I think the best medicine is still Jesus and I know some might not agree with this, but let me tell you that I am a living proof of this truth.Of course if you need to see a doctor, you should still do so. What I’m trying to say is that, when you mix prayer and faith in God along with the treatments that you need, you will find the strength to keep going. Everything’s possible with God and He is the God who makes the impossible, possible. I am also aware that sometimes things doesn’t go the way we want to and he answers our prayers differently. Despite of this, just know that He has a purpose for everything even though it’s quite hard to understand. Know that He is always in control and we need to trust Him. Easier said than done, but it’s the truth.

I would like to share these two videos from Diane Langberg and I hope you keep an open mind about it.

Complex Trauma: Understanding and Treatment

Power Trauma and Healing: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I’m leaving you with this power verse that keeps me going and I hope it will help you too.

“For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13