Unknown, Underserved, Underreported: A Case for Differentiation in Trauma Disorder Classification and Diagnosis

This paper details the hospital course of a patient suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who had been inadequately treated during previous hospitalizations and treatment programs. He also experienced symptoms not necessarily covered by the DSM-5 diagnosis of PTSD such as specific paranoia directed at his wife. This paper aims to expand upon the experiences of this patient from the standpoint of his disorder and his treatment history in order to demonstrate the potential benefits of the differentiation of complex PTSD (cPTSD) as a subset of patients within the greater scope of PTSD in order to more adequately address the needs of this subset of patients. Additionally, some common arguments against the recognition of cPTSD as a unique condition, such as diagnosing these patients as comorbid with bipolar disorder, are addressed.