Complex PTSD

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Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is a kind of PTSD caused by repeated traumas over a longer period of time. It usually also involves a change in perception and thinking. All C-PTSD is PTSD, but not all PTSD is C-PTSD, and symptoms specific to C-PTSD include:
 * Dissociation and change in consciousness (including depersonalization and derealization)
 * Emotional regulation issues; uncontrollable outbursts of anger, for example
 * Negative self-perception accompanied by ongoing shame and guilt, sometimes to the point of not feeling like anyone else
 * Unstable relationships with others, like avoiding others, distrusting everyone by default, etc.
 * Harmful behaviors like drug abuse or self-harm

C-PTSD is more common in cases where the trauma occurs in childhood, involving a trusted adult or peer, happens over and over again, and escape was perceived as impossible. It does not directly correlate with the "severity" of trauma.

Related Terms
Complex PTSD is common amongst traumagenic systems, including DID and in OSDD-1 & -2. Specific symptoms listed above may be held by specific headmates, like a dissonaut holding dissociation symptoms, or a trauma breaker to help the system handle negative past experiences.

History
Judith Herman first introduced the concept of Complex PTSD in her book Trauma and Recovery in 1992. She distinguished between "Type I Traumas" (short term, like sexual assault or a mugging) leading to PTSD, and "Type II Traumas" (long term, like childhood neglect) leading to C-PTSD. The distinction has not been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, and thus, the last two editions of the DSM have not included C-PTSD as a separate diagnosis. However, other influential organizations, including the World Health Organization's ICD-11, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Healthdirect Australia, and the NHS have all recognized C-PTSD as a separate but related disorder to PTSD.