Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a recognized mental health condition in which the sufferer experiences intrusive memories, flashbacks, and nightmares about their traumatic event. PTSD is often caused by a one-time traumatic event such as being in a war, accident, or a natural disaster.
Over time, experts studying PTSD realized that traumatic experiences are not always one-time events. They can go on for months and even years. Such ongoing traumatic events are likely to lead to complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD/cPTSD/C-PTSD).
What causes CPTSD?
CPTSD often occurs in the context of close relationships because you’re with a person close to you for months and years. In the context of close relationships, CPTSD is likely to be caused by physical or psychological abuse and neglect. Other contexts that can lead to CPTSD include:
- Living in a warzone
- Getting kidnapped
- Being a prisoner of war
- Slavery
While negative interactions with primary caregivers in early childhood are a significant risk factor for CPTSD, it can develop at any age.1Cloitre, M., Stolbach, B. C., Herman, J. L., Kolk, B. V. D., Pynoos, R., Wang, J., & Petkova, E. (2009). A developmental approach to complex PTSD: Childhood and adult cumulative trauma as predictors of symptom complexity. Journal of traumatic stress, 22(5), 399-408. CPTSD also develops when a person experiences multiple interpersonal traumas in early childhood.2Jowett, S., Karatzias, T., Shevlin, M., & Albert, I. (2020). Differentiating symptom profiles of ICD-11 PTSD, complex PTSD, and borderline personality disorder: A latent class analysis in a multiply traumatized sample. Personality Disorders: theory, research, and treatment, 11(1), 36. That means you don’t have to experience the same traumatic event multiple times to develop CPTSD. It can also develop when you experience different traumatic events back to back.
PTSD vs. CPTSD symptoms
Many symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD overlap. CPTSD has additional symptoms not found in PTSD. These are:
- Emotional dysregulation
- Negative self-concept
- Disturbances in relationships
Being more complex, CPTSD is more challenging to treat and takes longer to heal. Because CPTSD often develops in relational contexts, it can be thought of as the ‘PTSD of relationships.’ This concept aligns with the principles of attachment theory and sheds light on why certain individuals behave in specific ways within close relationships.
About the test
This test consists of 27 Yes/No items based on the recognized symptoms of CPTSD.3Hyland, P., Shevlin, M., & Brewin, C. R. (2023). The memory and identity theory of ICD-11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Review, 130(4), 1044. However, it is not meant to be a diagnostic tool and is for educational purposes only. It gives you an idea of how likely it is that you have complex PTSD. The test is anonymous and entirely free to take. Your results, displayed only to you, aren’t hidden behind email sign-ups or charges.