Dear Members of the APA DSM Committee:
This petition to include Complex PTSD in the DSM has been signed by 300 trauma survivors and mental health professionals from fifteen countries around the world including the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Romania, the Czech Republic, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
As you are well aware, in 2015 Complex PTSD was left out of the DSM, much to the surprise of many psychology professionals:
"In response to our lobbying, the American Psychiatric Association funded a field trial for a new diagnosis: complex PTSD or DESNOS. After that study was completed, the PTSD committee voted 19 to 2 to create a new diagnosis in the DSM. But to our amazement, that diagnosis was eventually left out of the DSM-IV, despite overwhelming research evidence for a much more complex developmental response to trauma" (van der Kolk, 2019).
In 2018, Complex PTSD was accepted in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11. While this is helpful in legitimizing Complex PTSD, however, as you are also no doubt aware many mental health/medical professionals, insurers, government health funders and other service providers refer to the DSM and as such, use the diagnosis of PTSD. This diagnosis does not fit relational trauma survivors:
"PTSD was a pretty good diagnosis for war veterans, but it was clear that there’s a much larger population of traumatized people. For every vet who comes back messed up, there are at least 30 kids who get abused, molested, abandoned, and neglected at home" (van der Kolk, 2019).
While PTSD and Complex PTSD share 3 symptoms, they are not the same. PTSD involves short term/single incident, non-relational trauma (natural disasters, crime) and results in three major symptoms which Complex PTSD shares (AV - Avoidance of Traumatic Reminders; RE – re-experiencing the past; SOT - persistent sense of threat). Complex PTSD, on the other hand results from ongoing relational trauma (abuse/neglect) and has three additional symptoms (AD – affective dysregulation; NSC – negative self-concept; and, DR – disturbed relationships (Hyland et al., 2017).
The lack of a separate, distinct diagnosis of Complex PTSD in the APA DSM means many thousands of relational trauma survivors do not receive the treatment, services and supports needed. As such, we the undersigned implore you to include Complex PTSD in the DSM.
Warm Regards,
Lori Herod, EdD, Founder of Out of the Storm
References:
Hyland, P., Shevlin, M., Elklit, A., Murphy, J., Vallières, F., Garvert, D. W., & Cloitre, M. (2017). An assessment of the construct validity of the ICD-11 proposal for Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy, doi:10.1037/tra0000114
van der Kolk, B. (2019). The politics of mental health. Pychotherapy Networker. Available: https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/2368/the-politics-of-mental-health.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
April 20, 2020
April 18, 2020
Reaching this milestone represents a gathering of widespread recognition for a diagnosis that impacts so many lives. Your participation helps demonstrate that the community of clinicians and survivors is ready for this change. Please consider passing this along to someone else who recognizes the necessity of this work.
April 5, 2020
Seeing the momentum grow across so many different countries is a powerful reminder that the need for this recognition is truly global. This building support validates the lived experiences of those who have felt overlooked by current diagnostic standards for far too long.
Reached 100 supporters
March 21, 2020
March 18, 2020
We are approaching one hundred signatures from across the globe which represents a significant collection of perspectives on this vital issue. Please consider sending this link to a colleague or a friend who recognizes the necessity of formalizing the recognition of Complex PTSD. Maintaining our current momentum is the most effective way to ensure our request receives the attention it deserves from the committee.
79 Comments
Complex PTSD has been kept out of both DSM IV and 5. ICD 11 will include the diagnosis. What does the rest of the world know and acknowledge that we won't?
I work mostly with people who meet criteria for this diagnosis. Many are parents and poor. This would be a step in the right way to help prevent the intergenerational transmission of trauma, that has such a devastating effect on society.
The failure to include this diagnosis is a triumph of politics over science, and delegitimizes the DAM in the eyes of everyone who works with complex developmental trauma.
I am an italian psychotraumatologist and I hope APA will include officially the diagnosis of complex-PTSD in their next edition of DSM: it would be a dramatic improvement in the clinical work.
I lost at least two decades of adult life navigating systems of ‘care’ that lacked info about relational and developmental traumas. CPTSD as a dx would have opened so many doors much earlier than finally finding a book in the library I can take to a professional to try and get adequate help.
Make this happen!
This condition is debilitating and gets passed on from one generation to the next while left untreated or ineffectively treated, because the professionals simply are unaware of this condition. Children of parents who have this condition, by the nature of this condition, are at major risk of developing it themselves. I believe it is the root cause of a majority of the mental health struggles in adults. It is very common (see https://www.porticonetwork.ca/web/childhood-trauma-toolkit/developmental-trauma/what-is-developmental-trauma) and people are suffering unnecessarily. This needs to be treated so future generations are protected from this debilitating condition. Without a definition and recognition and acknowledgment of the existence of this condition, it is not possible to work towards resolving the epidemic of relational trauma.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
Dear Members of the APA DSM Committee:
This petition to include Complex PTSD in the DSM has been signed by 300 trauma survivors and mental health professionals from fifteen countries around the world including the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Romania, the Czech Republic, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
As you are well aware, in 2015 Complex PTSD was left out of the DSM, much to the surprise of many psychology professionals:
"In response to our lobbying, the American Psychiatric Association funded a field trial for a new diagnosis: complex PTSD or DESNOS. After that study was completed, the PTSD committee voted 19 to 2 to create a new diagnosis in the DSM. But to our amazement, that diagnosis was eventually left out of the DSM-IV, despite overwhelming research evidence for a much more complex developmental response to trauma" (van der Kolk, 2019).
In 2018, Complex PTSD was accepted in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11. While this is helpful in legitimizing Complex PTSD, however, as you are also no doubt aware many mental health/medical professionals, insurers, government health funders and other service providers refer to the DSM and as such, use the diagnosis of PTSD. This diagnosis does not fit relational trauma survivors:
"PTSD was a pretty good diagnosis for war veterans, but it was clear that there’s a much larger population of traumatized people. For every vet who comes back messed up, there are at least 30 kids who get abused, molested, abandoned, and neglected at home" (van der Kolk, 2019).
While PTSD and Complex PTSD share 3 symptoms, they are not the same. PTSD involves short term/single incident, non-relational trauma (natural disasters, crime) and results in three major symptoms which Complex PTSD shares (AV - Avoidance of Traumatic Reminders; RE – re-experiencing the past; SOT - persistent sense of threat). Complex PTSD, on the other hand results from ongoing relational trauma (abuse/neglect) and has three additional symptoms (AD – affective dysregulation; NSC – negative self-concept; and, DR – disturbed relationships (Hyland et al., 2017).
The lack of a separate, distinct diagnosis of Complex PTSD in the APA DSM means many thousands of relational trauma survivors do not receive the treatment, services and supports needed. As such, we the undersigned implore you to include Complex PTSD in the DSM.
Warm Regards,
Lori Herod, EdD, Founder of Out of the Storm
References:
Hyland, P., Shevlin, M., Elklit, A., Murphy, J., Vallières, F., Garvert, D. W., & Cloitre, M. (2017). An assessment of the construct validity of the ICD-11 proposal for Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy, doi:10.1037/tra0000114
van der Kolk, B. (2019). The politics of mental health. Pychotherapy Networker. Available: https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/2368/the-politics-of-mental-health.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
April 20, 2020
April 18, 2020
Reaching this milestone represents a gathering of widespread recognition for a diagnosis that impacts so many lives. Your participation helps demonstrate that the community of clinicians and survivors is ready for this change. Please consider passing this along to someone else who recognizes the necessity of this work.
April 5, 2020
Seeing the momentum grow across so many different countries is a powerful reminder that the need for this recognition is truly global. This building support validates the lived experiences of those who have felt overlooked by current diagnostic standards for far too long.
Reached 100 supporters
March 21, 2020
March 18, 2020
We are approaching one hundred signatures from across the globe which represents a significant collection of perspectives on this vital issue. Please consider sending this link to a colleague or a friend who recognizes the necessity of formalizing the recognition of Complex PTSD. Maintaining our current momentum is the most effective way to ensure our request receives the attention it deserves from the committee.
79 Comments
As someone who works with survivors of human trafficking, having a separate CPTSD diagnosis would help us get appropriate services for our survivors and the proper recognition of what they are experiencing.
Complex PTSD has been kept out of both DSM IV and 5. ICD 11 will include the diagnosis. What does the rest of the world know and acknowledge that we won't?
I work mostly with people who meet criteria for this diagnosis. Many are parents and poor. This would be a step in the right way to help prevent the intergenerational transmission of trauma, that has such a devastating effect on society.
The failure to include this diagnosis is a triumph of politics over science, and delegitimizes the DAM in the eyes of everyone who works with complex developmental trauma.
I am an italian psychotraumatologist and I hope APA will include officially the diagnosis of complex-PTSD in their next edition of DSM: it would be a dramatic improvement in the clinical work.
I lost at least two decades of adult life navigating systems of ‘care’ that lacked info about relational and developmental traumas. CPTSD as a dx would have opened so many doors much earlier than finally finding a book in the library I can take to a professional to try and get adequate help.
Make this happen!
This condition is debilitating and gets passed on from one generation to the next while left untreated or ineffectively treated, because the professionals simply are unaware of this condition. Children of parents who have this condition, by the nature of this condition, are at major risk of developing it themselves. I believe it is the root cause of a majority of the mental health struggles in adults. It is very common (see https://www.porticonetwork.ca/web/childhood-trauma-toolkit/developmental-trauma/what-is-developmental-trauma) and people are suffering unnecessarily. This needs to be treated so future generations are protected from this debilitating condition. Without a definition and recognition and acknowledgment of the existence of this condition, it is not possible to work towards resolving the epidemic of relational trauma.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 500 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
As someone who works with survivors of human trafficking, having a separate CPTSD diagnosis would help us get appropriate services for our survivors and the proper recognition of what they are experiencing.