The experience of mental death: the core feature of complex posttraumatic stress disorder

Clinical Psychology Review
Angela Ebert, Murray J Dyck

Abstract

Exposure to extreme interpersonal stress, exemplified by the experience of torture, represents a threat to the psychological integrity of the victim. The experience is likely to result in mental death, in the loss of the victim's pretrauma identity. Mental death is characterized by loss of core beliefs and values, distrust, and alienation from others, shame and guilt, and a sense of being permanently damaged. Mental death is a primary feature of a distinct posttrauma syndrome, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is refractory to standard exposure therapies. We identify cognitive mechanisms that mediate the symptoms of complex PTSD, and suggest how current treatments need to be modified to obtain enhanced treatment outcomes.

References

Dec 1, 1991·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·L J Moore, J K Boehnlein
Jan 1, 1991·The American Journal of Psychiatry·L C Terr
Mar 1, 1989·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·N SpeedR Eberly
Dec 1, 1987·The American Journal of Psychiatry·R F MollicaJ Lavelle
Jan 1, 1985·International Journal of Health Services : Planning, Administration, Evaluation·F Bendfeldt-Zachrisson
May 1, 1984·The American Journal of Psychiatry·A W BurgessP Powers
Sep 1, 1995·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·J HubbardA S Masten
Dec 1, 1993·Archives of General Psychiatry·M M LinehanH E Armstrong
Jan 1, 1993·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·R RamsayS Turner
Apr 1, 1993·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·C Gorst-UnsworthS Turner
Aug 1, 1997·The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry·M Cunningham, J D Cunningham
Feb 11, 1998·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·T H Holtz
Apr 16, 1998·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·C Gorst-Unsworth, E Goldenberg
May 5, 1998·Journal of Traumatic Stress·P SuedfeldR Krell
Jul 18, 2000·The Journal of Social Psychology·A S Magwaza
Jul 3, 2002·Journal of Traumatic Stress·Jennie LeskelaPaul Thuras
Jul 1, 1995·Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy·A Ehlers, R Steil

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Dec 18, 2008·Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health·Rebecca D BlumhoferSondra S Crosby
Dec 15, 2010·Psychological Medicine·C R BrewinB Andrews
Sep 23, 2008·The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine : Research on Paradigm, Practice, and Policy·Michael A GrodinRobert B Saper
Jan 12, 2011·Annual Review of Clinical Psychology·Chris R Brewin
Nov 22, 2014·Nordic Journal of Psychiatry·Sabina PalicAsk Elklit
Jan 10, 2012·Transcultural Psychiatry·Paul BoltonMarine Desmousseaux
May 30, 2013·Psychodynamic Psychiatry·Archana BasuJoseph S Lonstein
Dec 7, 2007·The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry·Beverley RaphaelVirginia McAndrew
Jan 26, 2017·Chronic Illness·Elizabeth C CummingsLarry Davidson
Jan 18, 2007·Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology·Asako KanazawaSarah E Hampson
Jun 18, 2018·Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma·Ryan MitchellKevin F W Dyer

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.