It is the degree of impairment and not the trauma history that determines the diagnosis of PTSD or cPTSD. Read more on PTSD criteria and diagnostic interview.ĬPTSD on the other hand requires fulfilment of the same three criteria of PTSD along with symptoms of disturbances in self-organisation (DSO). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) consists of 3 core elements or clusters: reexperiencing of the traumatic event in the present, avoidance of traumatic reminders, and a sense of current threat.

a young child with leukaemia may experience hospitalisations as deeply traumatic despite no intent to harm on the part of the caregivers. Trauma may or may not be deliberate: e.g. Multiple forms of trauma can occur, and cumulative trauma is more damaging than single-episode trauma. Such traumatic stressors include childhood physical and sexual abuse, recruitment into armed conflict as a child, being a victim of domestic violence, sex trafficking or slave trade, experiencing torture, and exposure to genocide campaigns or other forms of organised violence. Alterations in attention and consciousness (e.g., dissociation)Ĭomplex PTSD occurs due to exposure to repeated or prolonged instances or multiple forms of interpersonal trauma, often occurring under circumstances where escape is not possible due to physical, psychological, maturational, family/environmental, or social constraints.The latter were grouped into five broad domains: The ISTSS task force definition of Complex PTSD (cPTSD) included the core symptoms of PTSD (re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyper-arousal) in conjunction with a range of disturbances in self-regulatory capacities. It is called complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) and was endorsed by the WHO in May 2019 and is planned to come into effect in January 2022.ĬOMPLEX PTSD (cPTSD) - CONCEPT AND DEFINITIONS This has resulted in the recent development of a new diagnostic category in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th revision. Chronic diseases – Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and metabolic diseasesĪdult patients with a history of trauma have clinically complex presentations.Academic problems – Conduct disorder, childhood aggression, delinquency, and youth violence.Behavioural issues – Risky health behaviours, high-risk sexual behaviour, and substance abuse.īeyond the acute medical consequences such as traumatic brain injury, ACEs can result in the long-term development of risky behaviours, chronic diseases, and poor life potential. Ī systematic review of Australian research estimates prevalence rates of childhood sexual abuse are approximately 8.6%, physical abuse 8.9%, emotional abuse 8.7% and childhood neglect 2.4%.

The incidence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is higher in females and refugee or ethnic minority subgroups. Acts of commission and omission towards a child are a considerable social and public health problem with a prevalence of approximately 20%.

Complex ptsd diagnostic criteria dsm 5