There has been some controversy regarding the difference between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD) amongst researchers and members of the medical profession.
During the early 1990s, the psychologist Judith Herman, in her seminal … Read the rest
There is a very strong link between the experience of severe and protracted childhood trauma and being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in later life. As we have seen in other articles I have published on this site, … Read the rest
Increasingly, many individuals who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and who have suffered severe and protracted childhood trauma are starting to question whether the BPD diagnosis is the correct and most appropriate one. One of the … Read the rest
We have seen in other articles I have published on this site that severe and protracted childhood trauma can increase the risk of damage to particular brain regions (e.g. the amygdala) and, in so doing, increase our risk … Read the rest
Betrayal trauma is a term which comes from betrayal trauma theory which was developed by Freyd (1994). Essentially, an individual may experience betrayal trauma when betrayed by a person to whom s/he is very close and upon whom the … Read the rest
We have seen from numerous other articles that I have published on this site that those of us who experienced severe and protracted childhood trauma are at a highly increased risk of being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and/or … Read the rest
As Bowlby emphasized, the child is profoundly dependent upon a reliable and secure attachment with his/her parent/primary carer for his/her physical and psychological health; indeed, throughout human evolutionary history, such a protective relationship has been crucial to the child’s … Read the rest
Childhood Trauma And Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Survivors of extreme trauma often suffer persistent anxiety, phobias, panic, depression, identity and relationship problems Many times, the set of symptoms the individual presents with are not connected to the original trauma … Read the rest
Certain studies have suggested that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is up to 67 per cent heritable (e.g. Torgenson et al. 2000 and 2012). In other words, these studies suggest there is a large genetic component that contributes to an … Read the rest
Whilst there has been a lot of research conducted upon the psychological and physiological effects of the 9/11 tragedy on adults, far less has been conducted on children who witnessed that appalling tragedy. However, researchers at Columbia University have helped … Read the rest
According to Kernberg, the symptoms of BPD can be divided up into four major categories. These categories are as follows:
Additionally, Kernberg asserts that … Read the rest
In the 1940s, at the request of the Office of Strategic Services (a former incarnation of the Criminal Intelligence Agency (CIA), a psychiatrist by the name of Walter Langer produced a psychological profile of Hitler, including details about … Read the rest
What are the effects on the child of being born unwanted because his/her mother wanted an abortion but was prevented from having one? A Czechoslovakian study, known as The Prague Study, spanning over thirty years and involving 220 … Read the rest
One of the hallmarks of both complex PTSD and borderline persona; disorder (BPD) is a feeling of constant anxiety, agitation and apprehensiveness, As a result of feeling trapped and imprisoned in this distressing state, individuals become desperate to escape … Read the rest
Hunter et al. (Institute of Psychiatry, London) has developed a form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for the condition that treats it in a similar way to how anxiety disorders would be treated.
The therapy developed by Hunter … Read the rest
