PTSD and CPTSD in Veterans

Human brains are hardwired to react viscerally to traumatic events. They then store those emotions in our central nervous, so that when we feel and experience similar future events, we will be alerted to new potential dangers.

Emotional flashbacks, experienced by those living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, are sudden and horrific, often prolonged, attacks from past highly traumatic events. Although these flashbacks are somewhat different than those experienced in post-traumatic stress disorder, both are very intense, confusing, fear-laden attacks of sorrow, and rage that causes terror and despair.

In this article, we shall examine the history of PTSD and how it has aided our understanding of how trauma affects the brain and thank those who serve or have served in our military forces.

The History of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

To understand the differences between the diagnoses of PTSD and CPTSD, we need to understand the evolution of stress-orders and their eventual recognition by the American Psychiatric Association.

PTSD has been around as long as humans have inhabited the earth. It was inevitable that our ancestors would develop the disorder as they lived in constant threat of death.

It could be that long ago post-traumatic stress disorder was adaptive, teaching us to respond quickly to situations, similar to the one that caused us to develop PTSD in the first place.