Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD can occur at any age including infancy and early childhood where neglect, abuse or abandonment may have occurred. Many of the signs and symptoms listed below are manifested during the teenage years. These symptoms, coupled with adolescent development, make it very difficult for a teen to cope without help.
Definition: A type of anxiety that is caused by witnessing a traumatic event, normally threat of injury or death, within three months of the event, though sometimes years later.
Signs and Symptoms: Generally grouped into three categories;
1. Intrusive memories
- Flashbacks or reliving the traumatic event for minutes or days at a time
- Upsetting dreams
2. Avoidance and numbing
- Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the event
- Feeling emotionally numb
- Avoiding activities you once enjoyed
- Hopelessness about the future
- Memory problems,
- Trouble concentrating
- Difficulty maintaining close relationships
3. Increased anxiety/emotional arousal
- Irritability or anger
- Overwhelming guilt or shame
- Self-destructive behavior, such as drugs, alcohol, cutting
- Trouble sleeping
- Being easily startled or frightened
- Hearing or seeing things that aren’t there
The PTSD symptoms can come and go at anytime. There may be more symptoms during stressful periods or when you’re reminded of the events by “triggers”. Some triggers might be loud noises that might remind you of gun fire, or news stories about a rape or other violent events.
When to get help:
It is normal to feel a wide range of feelings after a traumatic event. Feeling anxiety, fear or sadness, lacking focus, changes in eating or sleeping patterns are normal. If these feelings and thoughts last longer than a month, or are severe and affect your quality of life, talk to your health care provider or a mental health professional.
Often teens experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms need more than parents can provide to keep them safe. It is not possible for parents to monitor a teen 24 hours a day. The first step is outpatient therapy working with a therapist to learn techniques to cope with triggers and deal with the unhealthy PTSD behaviors that the teen has chosen to deal with the pain. Sometimes, outpatient therapy is not successful. Integrity House offers a setting providing 24 hour supervision, individual, group and family therapy and a safe, structured environment to foster healthy ways to cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
