Tag Archives: Severe Ptsd

Factors That Make Complex PTSD More Severe

August 4, 2018 10:14 am , David Hosier BSc Hons; MSc; PGDE(FAHE)

What Factors Make The Symptoms Of Complex PTSD Even More Serious?

We have seen from several other articles that I have published on this site that the experience of a traumatic childhood is linked to the development of complex PTSD later on in life.Whilst all cases of complex PTSD are extremely serious, certain factors are thought to increase the risk that we will develop an especially severe form of the disorder. These are as follows :

the person responsible for causing the trauma was a parent / primary carer (this worsens the effect of the trauma because of the emotional devastation caused by being harmed and betrayed by the very person whose responsibility it was to care for us and protect us)
how protracted the experience of the trauma was (on average, the longer the trauma lasts, the worse the effect will be ; tragically, some people experience pretty much ongoing trauma of one form or another (some of which may overlap and occur simultaneously) from birth to eighteen years which may, potentially, have a particularly adverse affect upon multiple stages of brain development and upon the young person’s development in general.

the individual is isolated during the period of trauma (this worsens the effect of the trauma due to the fact that emotional support from significant others (such as members of the wider family, teachers, therapists etc) have a protective effect on mental health ; this protective effect is unavailable to those who experience their trauma in isolation.
the earlier in life the traumatic experience occurs, the more psychological harm it is likely to do. This is because the young brain is especially ‘plastic’ / malleable and, therefore, more vulnerable to being damaged by the experience of protracted, high levels of stress / fear / anxiety.
the person responsible for causing the trauma is still in contact with the traumatized individual.

RELATED ARTICLES :

COMPLEX PTSD TREATMENT

WHY IS COMPLEX PTSD BECOMING MORE COMMON?

David Hosier BSc Hons; MSc; PGDE(FAHE).

Study Shows PTSD Sufferers Can Be Willing To Risk Life For Cure

July 12, 2018 8:36 am , David Hosier BSc Hons; MSc; PGDE(FAHE)

Anybody who has suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) / complex post traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) knows that the mental torment and anguish it entails can be extreme and unremitting.

Frustratingly (putting it mildly), such pain is impossible to describe in words to those who have been fortunate enough never to have experienced such conditions much in the same way as it would not be possible to describe to a person who has been blind from birth what it’s like to experience the color red (or any other color, for that matter).

It may well be useful, therefore, to outline the findings of the following study which helps to demonstrate how desperate sufferers of PTSD may become to be free from their ineffable suffering.

THE STUDY :

Zoellner and Feeny (2011) carried out interviews with 184 individuals who had been diagnosed with PTSD.

RESULTS :

Two main findings that help convey just how desperate people can be to be free from the constant distress PTSD can induce were as follows :

On average, participants in the study said they would be prepared to undergo a treatment that would completely cure their PTSD even if such a treatment carried 13 per cent risk of resulting in their immediate death.
On average, participants said they would be prepared to give up 13.6 years of their lives to be relieved of their PTSD symptoms.

Through the interviews conducted in the study, it was also found that symptoms linked to hyperarousal, hypervigilance, insomnia and irritability were particularly difficult to tolerate.

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