Kathy Griffin Diagnosed With “Extreme Case” of Complex PTSD

Kathy Griffin is ready to share something she has "never talked about publicly."

The comedian opened up on TikTok this week about being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

"This is going to sound, whatever, you can laugh or whatever, but I've been diagnosed with complex PTSD," Griffin said. "They call it an extreme case." 

PTSD can include symptoms where a person "involuntarily and vividly" relives a traumatic event, and complex PTSD can also lead to difficulty "managing your emotions and having relationships," according to the U.K.'s National Health Service.

"I have lots of tools, but it is extremely intense," Griffin, 62, wrote in the caption. "I've never experienced anything like this in my life."

After asking for coping tips from her followers with depression and anxiety, she continued the video by explaining, "If any of you know my story, you'll understand that this really started for me about five and a half years ago. Wink. You know, the cancer didn't help."

In August 2021, Griffin revealed she had been diagnosed with lung cancer despite having "never smoked." She later had half of her left lung removed and declared in December 2021 that she was cancer-free.

Griffin—who spent Easter this year getting an MRI—added in an April 14 video that she experienced an eight-hour "attack" on April 13, describing it as "eight hours of freaking writhing in pain in the bed."

"Today, I felt like one might be coming on," the Emmy winner shared. "So, I'm on my walk now, and I'm outside and looking at the ocean, which is helpful. And I'm sort of almost like mid-anxiety attack right now. It feels good to be walking my way through it. I just keep telling myself it won't last forever." 

Moving forward, she's planning to get professional help by trying eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, she said in the comments.

Per the Cleveland Clinic, "This method involves moving your eyes a specific way while you process traumatic memories. EMDR's goal is to help you heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences."

But in the meantime, Griffin said one big remedy is her four dogs, telling one user, "They are my healers."