International Trauma Questionnaire

[Desert Flower]

I'm not sure this questionnaire is on OOTS somewhere already, just in case it's not, here is the International Trauma Questionnaire. The ITQ was developed to be consistent with the organizing principles of the ICD-11, as set forth by the World Health Organization, it says. It's available in many languages. It was very helpful for me in determining whether I had Complex PTSD.
https://www.traumameasuresglobal.com/itq

[Dalloway]

Thank you very much, sounds very interesting, I will certainly check it out. 

[Chart]

👍

[Desert Flower]

I just wanted to add: I took me a while to figure out that with Complex PTSD, unlike PTSD, question P2.
"Having powerful images or memories that
sometimes come into your mind in which you feel the
experience is happening again in the here and now?"
is not as much or only about reliving actual experiences but more or also about emotional flashbacks. That gave me a big AHA.

[Kizzie]

It's here in the Resources section - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56983ac169492ecf0c7dc1c7/t/5ba262de575d1f6ea0cf4298/1537368799744/International+Trauma+Questionnaire.pdf.

My one complaint with it is that in the first section it talks about the one experience that troubles you the most whereas as we all know CPTSD for us involves ongoing abuse/neglect so there is rarely just one experience. It is the cumulative effect of our abuse/neglect that matters. 

[Dalloway]

Yes, Kizzie, that´s exactly what I wanted to mention, I had the same feelings after I read the questionnaire. It was a bit hard for me to relate to that "one problem", which in my case (and generally, in the case of CPTSD) was ongoing abuse and neglect.

[Desert Flower]

Yes, I agree. For C-PTSD it's multiple layers on top of each other and many recurring injurous events. And the adding up is not at all included in the list. Still some explaining we need to do, it seems.

[NarcKiddo]

YIPPEEE!        I am cured! I have neither PTSD nor CPTSD! /end sarcasm.

I found this to be a monstrously frustrating questionnaire. The "main event" question feels like a red herring. Others have already pointed out the issues with that.

But then we go on. I do not have PTSD because my scores for questions P1 and P2 were only 1. My issues with this are that they ask about only the last month and the questions are tied to the "main event". Well, my entire childhood and young adulthood was the "main event" but precious few of my EFs are obviously attributable to feelings from my childhood. It takes a heck of a lot of therapy and journaling and work to piece together where some things are coming from.  Having done a heck of a lot of therapy etc I am now in the happy position of having the occasional periods where I can recognise the triggers and stop some EFs before they set in. Back in the day, before all of that, my answers would probably have been even less indicative of stress despite the fact I was struggling even more.

I have pretty high scores for almost all of the CPTSD questions, expect for the last three, which are zero. I have always been able to work. My experiences cannot affect important areas of my life, possibly because I don't think there are any. Hello again, Negative Self-Concept! And in the last month I have had the usual feelings about my relationships with FOO. These are my norm, so I don't even think of them as causing distress.  Anyway, it does not matter that I don't qualify for CPTSD, since I have to qualify for PTSD first, and don't.

As with the ACE scores, I could make a lawyer's case either way for almost all of the questions. Back in the day, before I even knew about CPTSD, I was so far in the FOG and enmeshed with mother etc that I would never in a million years have been flagged up for any concerns. My answers to such questions would have been much milder than my answers given now, with more understanding of my situation.

I don't have a formal diagnosis and I don't seek one. It makes no practical difference to me to have a diagnosis. I have not even asked my T whether she thinks I would qualify. She has absolutely confirmed that I am riddled with trauma reactions and my childhood was objectively abusive.

This post probably sounds overly negative and ranty. I am sorry about that. I am all for awareness of these issues, and I do understand that there have to be some objective criteria when discussing a possible diagnosis. Especially in regions where the availability of publicly or insurance-funded healthcare comes into play. But these questions really don't seem to fit the bill for CPTSD. It's a start, of course, and we need awareness. So even partial awareness is a good thing IF it is used as an indicator and not a definitive qualification.

[Lakelynn]

so there is rarely just one experience. It is the cumulative effect of our abuse/neglect that matters. 

Kizzie says it right here. 

I took part in a trauma study maybe 4 years ago, and the same held true for that particular investigation as well. I'm not sure when people are going to "get it", but apparently, not soon. 

[Lakelynn]

This post probably sounds overly negative and ranty.

NarcKiddo, I have zero problems with negative, ranty or SARCASTIC! Thanks for your take.

[Kizzie]

You know I did mention this to one of the people who developed the questionnaire whom I met through ISTSS Complex Trauma group. I told them that the first section was especially jarring because our trauma is cumulative trauma, not one experience as in PTSD.

In the remainder I could see that they wanted a snapshot of one month in time but that doesn't necessarily work either as you say NK.

I can't quite remember exactly what they said but it was something to the effect that they had good reasons for how it's laid out/phrased.  Since it hasn't changed what I said obviously didn't have much effect. Sigh, I'm only a survivor with lived experience so why listen to what I said?   

[Desert Flower]

NarcKiddo, I like your sarcasm actually, made me chuckle.

And I've been thinking about why this thing was important to me. A Q like this, with all it's defects, gives me confirmation that there's actually something 'objectively' wrong with me. And I may then be entitled to the help that is required. While actually, what matters is that I subjectively feel and am sure too that there is something wrong with me, and I'm entitled to all the help I think I need, whether the medical business thinks I'm right or not.
(I keep writing something 'wrong with me', but what I actually mean is something 'wrong with what happened to me'.)

(In the mean time, it's also important to me how you on this forum react to me posting this. I now somehow feel responsible for this Q, when obviously I'm not, and I feel like having to defend it/myself. I'm not going to because I see what's going on - yay! But that's how it goes, whenever something goes 'wrong', and a discussion developing to me is 'going wrong' because discussions may turn out nasty and I'm afraid of them, it surely must be my fault. What little me is hoping for is not discussion but "well done DF', what a great contribution!" Because I need so much more affirmation then a regular person and I do not want to feel afraid... So that's what I learned here too - once more.)

[NarcKiddo]

Actually, Desert Flower, I was kind of worried that you might feel responsible - which is one of the reasons why I apologised for being ranty. I very much know that feeling, so I think you did well both to post the questionnaire and deal with any less than enthusiastic responses with good grace.

I also like that you have shared more about why you found it important. I cannot tell you how validating it was when my T confirmed that my childhood was abusive. By that time I had come round to realising (most of the time) that it was, and I did not ask my T for her opinion. She offered it in connection with some other question I had raised. So yes, anything that helps a sufferer accept that they deserve to be taken seriously and deserve help is great. I'm glad this questionnaire did that for you.

Thank you for sharing all of this. And a special "well done" to little DF for requesting well-deserved praise. That was brave.

 

[Desert Flower]

Thank you NarcKiddo, for your kind and considerate response. I'm glad you understand. And at the same time, I hope and wish that you will rave and rant all you want to here, because it's important that we can when we need to, that's why were here as well. Absolutely no need to apologise!

As for your thoughts on the Q, I do get your point too. I also think it takes an awful lot of awareness and insight into what's going on to be able to score this. And I agree, when you're deep in trauma response, there's no way you could recognise any of this. As you say, it was our norm.

I'm so happy to hear you are at a point where you can recognise some triggers and stop an EF, that's great! 

[Kizzie]

Desert Flower I want to say I feel somewhat badly for ranting a bit too when the Q helped you so much.  I'm glad it did and please don't let our criticisms take that away from you. If it helped you, it helped you and that's all that matters. Those of us who have been here for a while do tend to have things that bother us and in your case we ranted before taking into account you found it quite helpful.