Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD)

I attended a conference yesterday discussing the needs and support available for individuals living with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (formally known as Borderline Personality Disorder as it was thought to sit somewhere between psychosis and unstable personalities with a move now to call it EUPD – Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and now CPTSD). Those of you that know me will know that I am not a fan of labels as often they are the division between receiving help and not receiving help which leaves many individuals being unsupported in the health system.

A key element that was stressed at the conference is that there is a move away from the NHS to provide a diagnosis (label) as there is a recognition that there is a whole length of varying symptoms associated with personality distress that require support (welfare and housing related issues, self esteem, anger management etc..) and that some patients are slipping through receiving care for not being “bad enough” to receive a diagnosis and therefore have limited or little access to the current facilities in place to support people.

By switching to a more individual led needs based assessment of personality syndromes ( listening to the individual and not the labelled condition to help them to identify what they need to live well and be supported to do this which is what I as a counsellor firmly believe in) I really hope that the new PD Pathway that the NSFT is trialing will start supporting people who find themselves emotionally overwhelmed over a long duration, the real support and help they need rather than the current reaction to those in crisis with admissions and discharge often with insufficient care plans to support them in the community.

Apologies for the long post but I can’t stress how much I personally feel that this is an area that needs integrating rather than isolating throughout the NHS with too many individuals finding that they have to repeat their story over and over again and with almost a sense of “starting from scratch” each time they may require extra support.

I have placed a link to Suffolk Mind Waves (and Waves Plus) which is a community service for people with complex emotional needs delivered by staff at Suffolk Mind in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds who offer a positive programme for those people ready to work on new skills to help develop and maintain emotional wellbeing.