[I like vanilla]

Thank you Saylor and Kizzie for the follow-up.

I knew that the money goes to the petition site rather than any of us, which made it worse for me rather than better. I tried signing again and apparently, my first try worked because I got a 'you already signed this' message.

[I like vanilla]

Fuzzy-headed question: Is it sensible, useful etc for non-North Americans to sign the petition too? afaik there's a different diagnostic manual in use in Europe.

I am not sure if it matters for the head count for the petition (though others say it does). It does matter if it gets in the DSM, whether the manual is used in a region or not. If a condition is in not in the DSM it is nearly impossible for North American researchers to get funding for it, and often the institutions who would house the research have no interest and give no permission if there is no funding attached. One of the reasons to get it in is so that people who research/would like to research CPTSD in North America can finally get the resources needed to do so. For me, the more people researching the topic the better. If the information or break throughs happen anywhere in the world we all will ultimately benefit.

[Blueberry]

Thanks I like Vanilla I've signed already. I had worried about too many signatures from Europe being detrimental in some way because "irrelevant" or some such. Apparently that won't necessarily be the case.

[Kizzie]

I don't know if you can read the comments/names of people who have signed but there are professionals from the EU signing which suggests it is used outside of North America. 

So far there are 174 signatures which isn't bad considering we're in the middle of a pandemic.   

[Kizzie]

Sorry should have updated this a while back but had the whole COVID scare & lost track of a few things understandably.

Anyway, we did reach 300 signatures from survivors and a few professionals from 15 different countries so the need is definitely out there.  I sent the petition off to the APA DSM section and got what appears to be an auto-response:

Hello,

The APA invites proposals for changes to DSM-5. Changes will be made on a rolling basis, as warranted by advances in the science of mental disorders. Advances in digital publishing have paved the way to the adoption of this “continuous improvement” model. This approach differs from the previous mechanism for making changes to the DSM, which was to revise the manual in its entirety at variable intervals. Although this older approach had the advantage of facilitating standardized communication among users of the classifications, it prevented the incorporation of new scientific knowledge into the manual as it emerged.

Anyone can initiate the process for consideration of a proposal for changes to the DSM via this website. Most proposals will require the submission of supportive information in a structured format (including the reasons for the change, and data documenting improvements in validity, evidence of reliability and clinical utility, and consideration of potential deleterious consequences. Proposals involving only minor corrections or clarifications of the diagnostic criteria or text will not require supporting data.

Thank you,

DSM-5

I have emailed twice since receiving this to see if I could connect with an actual human but no responses so time to move onto Plan B which is to find clinician(s)/researcher(s) who would be wiling to write up the proposal and submit it.  I'm going to be contacting some well-know members of the trauma societies I belong to (ISTSS and ISSTD) to see if they can help themselves or point me to some folks who might be willing to undertake this.

Will post if/when I have something to pass along     

[owl25]

Hi Kizzie, I'm not sure where to post this information, so trying it in this thread here. First of all thank you for doing this work and petitioning for this. I just signed it as well even though it's already been submitted.

One link I was thinking that could be helpful to make the case as you keep working on this is this link here: https://www.porticonetwork.ca/web/childhood-trauma-toolkit/developmental-trauma/what-is-developmental-trauma. It shows the different ACEs in an infographic and it clearly shows the things that can lead to this condition. To me this really says it all.

I hope we can make this happen. Too many people are suffering. It took me a good decade to figure out that this is what's going on for me after first entering therapy. I imagine it's the same for others. This kind of thing should be screened for in every mental health setting, and properly addressed with the right treatment and resources. People should not be left to flounder on their own for years on end while they try to raise their families and potentially pass on the trauma because they are undiagnosed. It should be caught from the get go and save people years and years of unnecessary suffering.

I hope this is the right spot for my feedback, and if not feel free to move it.