Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0487
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2161-0487
+44 1478 350008
Michelle Atchison
Psychiatrist, Australia
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Psychol Psychother
Judith Herman first described the concept of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 1992 to describe a constellation of psychiatric symptoms in children exposed to repeated, severe childhood trauma. Difficulties include longterm problems with affect regulation, dissociation and chronic physical symptoms. This talk aims to explore the links between severe and repeated childhood trauma and the robust research and clinical findings of an incresed prevalence of many adult chronic illnesses, including chronic pain and somatatisation. Childhood trauma occurs at a developmentally imoprtant time, both for the brain, but also for hormonal and immunicological systems. The imoprtance of physicians taking a developmental history, especially in cases of difficult to diagnose or manage physical illness is empahsised.