July 1, 2025: Bradenton, FL – Clean Recovery Centers is a local rehab and mental health treatment facility that recently released a blog post clearing up the differences in the types of PTSD. Their program caters to substance use disorders, mental health conditions, and co-occurring circumstances.

“Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that develops after experiencing an extremely stressful event. In general, those with PTSD will experience symptoms including nightmares, avoiding places or people, flashbacks, heightened vigilance, insomnia, and intrusive thoughts.

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. During heightened stress, the body activates the fight-flight-freeze response. As the tension and danger subside, this response returns to a normal state, though lasting feelings of fear may still linger. When these feelings persist, it becomes more difficult to keep thoughts from coming back to the event. This is where PTSD can develop, and if left untreated, it will begin affecting every aspect of life,” the blog states.

The varying types of PTSD are diagnosed as individual conditions. Acute stress disorder (ASD) became a recognizable mental health condition in the early 90s. This was to help those seeking formal help for trauma, but who were uninsured and didn’t qualify for PTSD treatment. Symptoms of ASD align with PTSD, however, they begin occurring within 3 days of the event and no more than 4 weeks later. The goal of receiving prompt treatment for ASD is to reduce the risk of later developing PTSD.

Though the symptoms of uncomplicated PTSD are similar to those of other types, the key difference is the trauma that was experienced. In most cases, uncomplicated PTSD is the result of a singular traumatic event, such as a car accident or a natural disaster. Flashbacks of the incident and avoidant behaviors, like not wanting to get into a car or refusing to let anyone else drive, are still experienced. However, because the trauma is only related to a specific incident, it is typically simpler to address and treat.

Complex PTSD (CPTSD) derives from experiencing a singular or multiple traumas over months or years. Some examples of situations where CPTSD can occur include domestic violence, sexual, emotional, or physical abuse, human trafficking, an unhealthy foster care or juvenile justice environment, or living in a violent community. These traumas can be experienced or witnessed, and they can affect both adults and children. Because these situations often last for years, treating CPTSD is much more complicated than uncomplicated PTSD.

“Dissociative PTSD involves the above symptoms combined with depersonalization and/or derealization. Depersonalization is the recurrent feeling that the person is not in their own body – they feel as though they are observing themselves from the outside or that they are in a constant dream state. Derealization is a persistent feeling that the world around the person is unreal, distorted, or dreamlike.

Those living with dissociative PTSD often try to avoid any memories of the traumatic event, as they can become negatively altered and further worsen the condition. Other common symptoms include detached feelings from others, thoughts of self-blame, difficulties feeling positive emotions, sleep disturbances, and dissociative flashbacks,” the blog continues.

The final type of PTSD is comorbid. This is where another mental health condition exists alongside PTSD. The relationship between PTSD and other mental health conditions is not linear. Someone can experience a trauma, develop PTSD, and then go on to develop depression. However, someone with depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition can experience trauma after already being diagnosed, then later develop PTSD. Comorbid PTSD can also coincide with substance use disorders.

Clean Recovery Centers strives to provide quality and compassionate mental health care for those living with PTSD, substance use, or any other mental health condition. Their program features a unique, three-phase approach that treats each person as a whole, addressing the physical, mental, spiritual, and social aspects that come with addiction and mental health.

To learn more about Clean Recovery Centers, call (888) 330-2532 or visit their website.

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