Complex PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder
What is complex PTSD?
Complex PTSD is a form of PTSD that displays psychological challenges alongside traditional PTSD. Complex trauma is the result of prolonged and repeated traumas over a period of time, such as constant abuse. Traditional PTSD usually occurs if the trauma is a one time occurrence, such as a car accident.
How are PTSD and BPD related?
Many of the symptoms of BPD and C-PTSD overlap with one another. Many times people with Borderline Personality Disorder are diagnosed with PTSD, but the trauma associated with BPD is often complex (or occurring over a long period of time.) Some of the overlapping symptoms include: Difficulties with emotion regulation (feeling emotions too intensely), unstable interpersonal relationships, distorted/unstable self-perception, and dissociative symptoms.
Whats the difference between BPD and C-PTSD?
According to one source I read, the trauma related with BPD often has to occur early in a childs development, during the time in which their personality is developing where as complex PTSD, like with traditional PTSD can occur at anytime in a persons life.
Let's discuss this topic!
@InvaderStitch This surely made me think. But I don't know if what happened to me even counts as abuse. Was more 'emotional neglect', but there's a lot of 'is it abuse' questions in my head, because I took all that happened as natural. Only now, when I get more and more memories to tell my therapist, she tells me how it wasn't normal nor healthy, and that those situations played a part in how I feel now and what I struggled.
Thing is, when I put what my therapist says and this Complext PTSD + BPD together - I feel my mind making sense. It's not that I was the weirdo that got affected when shouldn't, but because my mind more likely suffered a complext trauma, from when I was 6 or probably younger, till 12.
And it makes sense because what happens to a child in their developmental years plays a big part in how they're going to deal with things! I remember reading how: until 6, a child develops their personality and until 10 the way they handle situations. Not sure this is the right way to say it, was many years ago and I don't remember where I read it.
@givemecoffee
I would consider emotional neglect a form of abuse. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Perhaps complex ptsd is something you could talk to your therapist about?
@givemecoffee you're saying all sorts of familiar things similar neglect - an emotion vacuum for me. Today, my relationships tend to either be superficial or intense to the point of codependency and incredible neediness. How are yours?
@InvaderStitch
Very informative. So I wonder how a psychiatrist diagnoses the differences and makes the choice between the two then?
Lisa
I am glad to see something about this on here. Being bpd, then being in an emotionally and occasionally physically abusive relationship for over 15 years I definitely see how the two overlap. It has taken a couple years of being out of it and getting back to myself to start to see all of the effects, and still I am overwhelmed with new issues that come up as I pull away the layers. It is very difficult to stay centered, in fact I fail more times than not. I made an attempt at a new relationship, I tried to explain I was a special blend of messed up, its hard to put into words for someone just how strongly that combination effects you. It's like having to run everything you feel through two filters to try and see if it's a genuine reaction or INE biased by one or the other. Exhausting.
@InsomniacBPD7
... But still I gotta admit you sound like an absolute "pro for yourself" though! Like, having analyzed and figured out all that stuff about yourself and why you're reacting in what way! And that you even KNOW you basically need "two filters" for everything so the outcome would be less biased.
I mean... well even if that DOES sound real exhausting, I'd still say it's quite the accomplishment you know yourself that well and got aware of all those things! 
I srsly think that's pretty impressive as it is! 
@suBSea
Thank you so much 