Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)

[MENTION=5375]chulo[/MENTION] for the sake of being fair to people wiht BPD That clip was about Lisa -- who is actually supposed to be a sociopath. The borderline patient in the book/movie was actually Winona Ryders character
 
Neverwhere said:
[MENTION=5375]chulo[/MENTION] for the sake of being fair to people wiht BPD That clip was about Lisa -- who is actually supposed to be a sociopath. The borderline patient in the book/movie was actually Winona Ryders character
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For the sake of being fair to the people with BPD I changed it. Wouldn't want a sociopath to take all the credit for her sexiness.
 
LOL Sorry Lisa is just fucking nuts.
 
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I am just going to pop in here and say, having had some experience with people who suffer badly from bpd, it is incredibly painful and debilitating, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. You can call it a disorder or a disease, or whatever you want, it is terrifying, and not very sexy either. Just FYI. Personally, it is frightening to me. Sort of like alzheimers -- it steals your personality and takes over. Makes me understand why people came up with the idea of demon posession or "keeping demons down." Very very very bad.

edit: I just realized that "BPD" could mean either Bipolar disorder -- which is what I was talking about -- or borderline personality disorder. (pffft. Acronyms.) Bipolar disorder is the one that I've had some experience with. Borderline personality disorder seems sort of catchall and vague. The BPD I meant seems very, very much like a physiological based illness. Not familiar with the other ones but they do sound very difficult.):
 
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this is only temporary said:
I am just going to pop in here and say, having had some experience with people who suffer badly from bpd, it is incredibly painful and debilitating, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. You can call it a disorder or a disease, or whatever you want, it is terrifying, and not very sexy either. Just FYI. Personally, it is frightening to me. Sort of like alzheimers -- it steals your personality and takes over. Makes me understand why people came up with the idea of demon posession or "keeping demons down." Very very very bad.
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Agreed.

C-PTSD on the other hand, I don't think it shares that scariness.
 
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Neverwhere said:
LOL Sorry Lisa is just fucking nuts.
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this is only temporary said:
You can call it a disorder or a disease, or whatever you want, it is terrifying, and not very sexy either. Just FYI.
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Now I'm going to chime in for [MENTION=5375]chulo[/MENTION] to say that..
I think in context of Girl, Interrupted above, it is highly possible that people found her sexy.

a) She's played by Angelina Jolie
b) Meta-wise, the character plays with people's expectations; using the femme fatale trope, the seductress.... yet at the same time, the broken woman. She evokes danger, charm, and vulnerability at the same time.
c) And sociopathy..well, can be charming. People who had dealt with them IRL know the truth, but in portrayals in media, etc.... they can appear to be charming. See : Patrick Bateman.

Of course, again, people with extensive knowledge and/or experience in this area will balk against the sexiness.

While Wynona's character appeared to be much more broken, yet 'innocent' at the same time, AFAI Remember.

IN some ways that also shows the stigma about mental disorders as a whole, isn't it?
 
I never disputed her sexiness, I just meant literally what i said. I was apologising for feeling the need to correct. sociopathy and bpd are two very different problems.

Anyway back tp cptsd.
 
Thanks, btw, for the discussion. As straying as the discussion seems to be, I learned a lot from these.
I'm going to write a mini-paper describing the disorder and the social context surrounding C-PTSD as a homework..and as a review of some sort...I'll post it here when I'm done.


I wrote some unused part about how PTSD is being portrayed in media, is my perspective...correct? Am I overlooking on something here?




Media and pop culture also plays a part in confusing the social context. There aren't really a lot of good, profound, and realistic representations in media, as far as PTSD and C-PTSD are concerned. Few long lasting damage are shown. A lot of times they serve only as plot device. Other times they serves to merely 'distinguish' the character, offering nothing else but the disorder as characterization. More often, the portrayal are often tragic, drastic; sometimes even violent. Almost always dramatic. Even with the prevalence of the disorder, the depictions of these are rare and at times unsatisfactory.


Few times were spent showing the repercussions for people living together with the patient. Fewer were spent showing how the people diagnosed, the patients, are living, managing, and dealing with their disorder. And even fewer times are spent showing the progress, the relapse, the struggle. All it takes is one revelation, one dramatic action, one romantic scene, and all seems to be healed with no everlasting repercussions, the victim's life all fallen into place. With acceptable reasons, as far as storytelling purposes are concerned, but socially it gives an unhealthy picture of people diagnosed with PTSD and C-PTSD. Not only aren't they giving enough education to the general public, they are giving the wrong ideas, implications, and insinuations.
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CindyLou said:
Agreed.

C-PTSD on the other hand, I don't think it shares that scariness.
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I think that's debatable personally. How do you mean exactly?
 
Neverwhere said:
I think that's debatable personally. How do you mean exactly?
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Someone with C-PTSD isn't considered as potentially dangerous or destructive I guess is a better word, as someone with BPD; am I wrong?

I'm not saying that all borderlines are dangerous either FYI.
 
CindyLou said:
Someone with C-PTSD isn't considered as potentially dangerous or destructive I guess is a better word, as someone with BPD; am I wrong?

I'm not saying that all borderlines are dangerous either FYI.
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I think people with bpd are given a stigma that they are dangerous when in reality they aren't at all. I also think bpd is very curable. Each case is so unique it's impossible to generalize. That's why there are so many misunderstandings here.

When I think of these people I think of them as fragile. Not predatory in any way. I think of them as constantly on the defense. I think they are a danger to themselves but definitely not others. Is my stigma uncommon??

From the little I know about c-PTSD I feel the same way; fragile people who are constantly on the defense. Not a thing threatening about them.
 
CindyLou said:
Someone with C-PTSD isn't considered as potentially dangerous or destructive I guess is a better word, as someone with BPD; am I wrong?

I'm not saying that all borderlines are dangerous either FYI.
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See, I'm not so sure.

Most people with BPD aren't going to be "dangerous" to others. They can be whiney and demanding and manipulative, but I wouldn't say dangerous (despite media portrayal).

However, if you do look at a minority that way -- it could be similar for the person with C-PTSD. With C-PTSD some people can tend to have a fixation on relationship with the perpetrator of their abuse often times being preoccupied with revenge.

As for danger to self and self destruction -- I think it's tough to say because they share so many symptoms in this respect. Both illnesses have substance abuse, self harm, suicide attempts etc listed as symptoms.
C-PTSD also have tendencies towards bad relationships and revictimization.

Maybe I'm wrong.
 
From Tumblr, which apparently has another source.
People suffering Complex PTSD as a result of bullying report consistent symptoms which further help to characterize psychiatric injury and differentiate it from mental illness. These include:
Fatigue with symptoms of or similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome


An anger of injustice stimulated to an excessive degree (sometimes but improperly attracting the words “manic” instead of motivated, “obsessive” instead of focused, and “angry” instead of “passionate”, especially from those with something to fear)


An overwhelming desire for acknowledgement, understanding, recognition and validation of their experience


A simultaneous and paradoxical unwillingness to talk about the bullying (working past it)


A lack of desire for revenge, but a strong motivation for justice


A tendency to oscillate between conciliation (forgiveness) and anger (revenge) with objectivity being the main casualty


Extreme fragility, where formerly the person was of a strong, stable character


Numbness, both physical (toes, fingertips, and lips) and emotional (inability to feel love and joy)


Clumsiness


Forgetfulness


Hyperawareness and an acute sense of time passing, seasons changing, and distances travelled


An enhanced environmental awareness, often on a planetary scale


An appreciation of the need to adopt a healthier diet, possibly reducing or eliminating meat - especially red meat


Willingness to try complementary medicine and alternative, holistic therapies, etc


A constant feeling that one has to justify everything one says and does


A constant need to prove oneself, even when surrounded by good, positive people


An unusually strong sense of vulnerability, victimization or possible victimization, often wrongly diagnosed as “persecution”


Occasional violent intrusive visualizations


Feelings of worthlessness, rejection, a sense of being unwanted, unlikeable and unlovable


A feeling of being small, insignificant, and invisible


An overwhelming sense of betrayal, and a consequent inability and unwillingness to trust anyone, even those close to you


In contrast to the chronic fatigue, depression etc, occasional false dawns with sudden bursts of energy accompanied by a feeling of “I’m better!”, only to be followed by a full resurgence of symptoms a day or two later


Excessive guilt - when the cause of PTSD is bullying, the guilt expresses itself in forms distinct from “survivor guilt”; it comes out as:
• an initial reluctance to take action against the bully and report him/her
• later, this reluctance gives way to a strong urge to take action against the bully so that others, especially successors, don’t have to suffer a similar fate
• reluctance to feel happiness and joy because one’s sense of other people’s suffering throughout the world is heightened
• a proneness to identifying with other people’s suffering
• a heightened sense of unworthiness, undeservingness and non-entitlement (some might call this shame)
• a heightened sense of indebtedness, beholdenness and undue obligation
• a reluctance to earn or accept money because one’s sense of poverty and injustice throughout the world is heightened
• an unwillingness to take ill-health retirement because the person doesn’t want to believe they are sufficiently unwell to merit it
• an unwillingness to draw sickness, incapacity or unemployment benefit to which the person is entitled
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I hope it helps. :P

And, personally.......I am beginning to be very disturbed, the symptoms here....I'm familiar with some of the description.
But there's no way to properly assess the strength and intensity of what I feel; whether what I feel and my mental patterns are just your run-of-the-mill fuckups, or...specifically, this.
 
I noticed a very interesting thing happening on here and Tumblr (you can look at it; search C-PTSD or complex ptsd at Tumblr):

Most, if not all (minimul 90%) diagnosed with C-PTSD are women.
True, a lot of Tumblr users are women, but still.
 
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[video=youtube;lg5jyal1m6w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg5jyal1m6w[/video]

This is supposed to be a good video on Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. I need to watch it and take some notes before my next appt. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks, [MENTION=5297]Neverwhere[/MENTION] :D

I'm also reading what [MENTION=3765]Vicarious[/MENTION] gave;

Complex PTSD is unlike a trauma in which a person is exposed once. >> AH. That explains it. Looking within a particular timeframe, I think some PTSD also happened in long-term situation? Like wartime, or living in places rife with violence... Although some are more acute like sexual abuse or hate crime.

It is said that people dissociate for these reasons...which I honestly don't get.


  • Cognitive dissonance regarding caregivers and abusers >> does this mean they dissociate to eliminate the dissonance? Or in dissociating, they create a cognitive dissonance?
  • A “freeze freeze” response in the flight, fight or freeze response to threat. >> This one, I get a bit...
  • A fundamental disconnect between what is supposed to happen to what is reality for those in abusive households. >> So this is more like a clash between ideals / hopes and reality?

Sometimes I wonder if dissociating is a bad or good; I mean...it can lead to bad things, but...
.........not feeling, not feeling that -hit-.

Isn't that
good?
 
If you would like to observe whom I think is a good example of C-PTSD in the media, watch a film called Shutter Island. I believe the main character is a fairly good example of someone with severe C-PTSD with Dissociative characteristics.
 
Dissociation is a tough one. I suffer from it quite badly from times. Even when I think I'm not havin difficulties with it I can still "zone out" up to twenty times in an afternoon, so I've been told by my friends.

Dissociation is bad because it's just a state of disconnect from the world around you. It might seem harmless at first, but it becomes a way of coping and instead of dealing with the things you need to deal with or learning to manage or cope with situations you may find stressful your body just shuts down and goes into dissociative mode. It's kind of like avoidance.
 
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