Should I Tell My Therapist About My Suspected CPTSD and OCD?

i always feel weird going to my therapist thinking i have something specific w the fear people think i’m making shit up. however, just remind yourself that they are there to guide you and being honest is the best way they can do that

so, i told my therapist that, and why, i think, i have CPTSD and OCD (or at the least some features of OCD), and made sure to mentioned that i know these two diagnoses, as well as the ones i already have (MDD and GAD), share a significant overlap, but that i suspected (C)PTSD was a more accurate one because of my repeated exposure to trauma, and she informed me that she agrees that i qualify for a diagnosis of CPTSD and that she actually already has diagnosed me with PTSD - because CPTSD isn't officially recognized yet, so "PTSD" is the next closest thing that i can be billed for. and when we talked about why i think i have OCD, she said that while I don't qualify for an official diagnosis of OCD in her opinion, it is evident that i do have obsessive & compulsive symptoms, which are often seen with the level of anxiety that i have. so all in all she basically said i was right to suspect that my diagnosis needed to be updated lol, and im really glad i shared this with her, because honestly i felt a sort of wave of relief when she said she believes I do have PTSD, because for 11 years and counting the narrative I had been fed about my diagnoses was that they were due to a theoretically innate chemical imbalance in my brain, as opposed to repeated trauma - which is a staple of (C)PTSD. so i felt very validated, and like i now have a more accurate idea of the origins of my pain, and thus a different, slightly clearer path to go down to understand and treat these long-standing issues.

Let us know what you choose to do. I am all for you being honest and laying out your assumptions and then listening

I honestly feel like laying out all your symptoms and experiences should give you more answers than grief- your psychiatrist should be able to understand and I think it would be validating.

I'd say start with relaying all of your symptoms. You want to avoid diagnosis if you can, you already have a sense of what they could be and can go from there. Talking to them about the things that make you question if you have these disorders would be a good start and trust their expertise.

I had a hard time with that as well. My psychiatrist diagnosed me without me having to say so though so that was helpful. I found that it’s been easier to target core issues based off of being diagnosed with CPTSD rather than if I just had an anxiety disorder, because for me the stress and anxiety comes from triggers that are linked to past trauma. I’d say go for it! OCD is also linked to CPTSD and anxiety and stress and can cause anxiety and stress. My doctor has diagnosed me with OCD but has brought it up as a possibility twice now. It could potentially help pinpoint your treatment and help along the path of healing.