Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is very common in teens and children. So how can parents with children with untreated, undiagnosed PTSD find the help they need? Understanding the symptoms of this condition is a good start. Some of the symptoms in teens and children are the same as those for toddlers and babies. The symptoms include emotional distress when reminded of a certain trauma that caused the PTSD, hyper vigilance, avoidance or fear of places that remind them of the traumatic event, nightmares, and other sleeping disorder or problems.
Other symptoms are more common in kids over three years old and into the teenage years. Here are some of them:
1. Physical Reaction
When reminded of the trauma, older kids may complain of vague physical conditions like headaches and stomachaches. To the child, the pain is real even though there is no underlying cause that can be diagnosed. Parents may say, "It's all in the head," but in reality, they are real symptoms of PTSD.
2. Denial of the Event
Sometimes, kids old enough to clearly remember the traumatic event forcefully it ever happened. They'd choose to hide their pain rather than recall the event. Left hidden and unprocessed, such painful mental wounds develop into PTSD. Children seen with such symptom require treatment as soon as possible.
3. Gets Startled Easily
Depending on the kind of trauma they've experienced, children may shout or jump when they hear loud noises or become fearful in situations that are comparable to the traumatic event. Those who've been abused physically may shun away when an adult's hand comes near their face.
4. Difficulty Concentrating
Children suffering from this condition are usually misdiagnosed with ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. What seems like ADHD are responses to trauma triggers. Children with PTSD respond fearfully and attempt to move on to anything that seems safer for them. When they experience another trauma trigger, they move on again.
5. Self-destructive Choices, Impulsiveness, and Irritability
Such behaviours are usually a direct, unconscious response to the child's foreshortened view of the future. Because children with PTSD think they will die young, why should they even try to make safe choices? Why should they even try to get along with people? Why should they prepare for or think about the future? Children with PTSD feel like they do not have any future. As a result, they do not try to keep relationships; make self-destructive actions; and act, think, or spend impulsively.
6. Depression or an Overwhelming Sense Hopelessness and Sadness
Again, this symptom is caused in the mindset about the future. It is sometimes referred to as "an impending sense of doom." This mindset is an excellent environment for sadness, depression, and hopelessness to grow and develop.
Many children without post-traumatic stress disorder displays behaviours comparable to the symptoms discussed above. So when should you seek professional help?
* When you know that the child has been through a significant traumatic experience before.
* When the PTSD symptoms persist for over three months after the trauma experience.
* When the behaviour of the child is significantly different from what's normal in other children in the same age group.
About the Author
If your child is experiencing post traumatic stress disorder, depression, or other mental and emotional conditions, seek the help of a reliable professional. Visit Victorian Counselling & Psychological Services in Melbourne by following these links: http://www.vcps.com.au/post-traumatic-stress-disorder http://www.vcps.com.au/depression
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