The Treatment Of Children And Adolescents With Complex Trauma

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively new diagnosis that was associated with survivors of war when it was first introduced. Its diagnosis was met largely with skepticism and dismissal by the public of the validity of the illness. PTSD was only widely accepted when it was included as a diagnosis in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) of the American Psychiatric Association. PTSD is a complex mental disorder that develops in response to exposure to a severe traumatic event that stems a cluster of symptoms. Being afflicted with the disorder is debilitating, disrupting an individual’s ability to function and perform the most basic tasks.

PTSD, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

In short, PTSD is a mental illness that occurs after one has either experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. The negative effects on the sufferer are immense, psychological effects include avoiding reminders of loss, numbness, reduced fun doing things that were previously enjoyable, loneliness, nostalgia, severe anxiety, and having suicidal thoughts. Moreover, the physical effects include insomnia, exaggerated startle, drowsiness, which can lead to intense nightmares and flashbacks of the trauma.

PTSD is post traumatic stress disorder, a very common mental health condition triggered by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event, affecting three million adults and childrens of varied ages a year, although it can not be cured, there are forms of treatment available to help with the symptoms. PTSD is not a new diagnoses, it used to be called “Shell Shock” or “Battle Fatigue”. After a trauma has occurred in someone 's life it is normal to have some type of reaction to the event, however if the symptoms get worse over time PTSD is more likely to develop. Symptoms often have triggers that bring back past memories that can cause very intense physical and emotional reactions, along with other problems that may inhibit some parts of their life including their personal life with family, work or how they may think. PTSD is not a sickness or a disease, but a result of being exposed to something that was very traumatic and the bodies way of trying to cope.

PTSD can affect people in different ways due to the circumstance they went through, for example, “a young woman gets mugged and hit over the head with a pipe. Years later, she is still afraid to go out at night by herself. She has trouble making friends and she is slow to trust people. She has gotten several warnings at work for missing days; sometimes she just can’t seem to get out of bed. A former soldier, when he finally sleeps, finds himself back on the dusty roads of Afghanistan. He awakes in a panic and struggles futilely to return to sleep. Days are hardly better. The rumble of garbage trucks shatters his nerves. Flashbacks come unexpectedly, at the whiff of certain cleaning chemicals. He is imprisoned in his own mind” (Brainline,

According to the Mayo-Clinic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD is defined as “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that 's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Post Traumatic Stress disorder can prevent one from living a normal, healthy life.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was stablished by Congress in 2000 and brings a comprehensive focus to childhood trauma. This network raises the average standard of care and improves access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities throughout the United States. The NCTSN defines trauma‑focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF‑CBT) as an evidence‑based treatment approach that is shown to help children, adolescents, and their caregivers overcome trauma‑related difficulties. It is designed to reduce negative emotional and behavioral responses following a traumatic event. The treatment addresses distorted beliefs related to the abuse and provides a supportive environment so the individual can talk about their traumatic experience. TF‑CBT also helps parents cope with their own emotional issues and develop skills to support their children.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that involves a reaction to a traumatic event. There are four types of symptoms that doctors associated PTSD with: Intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions. Some specific symptoms of PTSD are: nightmares, avoiding things that remind the person of the event, bad thoughts, depression, sleep problems, anger issues, and guilt/shame (Mayo Clinic). Furthermore, the symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event. All the symptoms of PTSD can be traced back to a traumatic event, and each case is different (VA).

The question that some may ask is- what is PTSD- post traumatic stress disorder. Well “PTSD is one of the most common mental health conditions” in the United States (Charles, 2013). There are two different types of PTSD, civilian PTSD and combat PTSD. Civilian PTSD is when someone witnesses or is a part of a tragic event. These events can include a natural disaster, living through a violent act or neglect; experience a sudden death of someone close and witnessing or being in a tragic accident or event, such as a car accident or 9/11. Combat PTSD is different but is similar than civilian

According to PTSD United, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder used to be considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were “shocked” by and unable to face their experiences from battle. Soldiers with symptoms of PTSD often faced rejection by their military peers and were feared by society in general. Those who showed signs of PTSD were often removed from combat zones and even discharged from military services, being left labeled as weak (“Post Traumatic Stress”). These implications have been debunked by modern day medical professionals who have given a new definition to the illness to help diagnose those who have it. “PTSD is recognized as a psychological mental disorder that can affect survivors not only of combat experience,

PTSD is a disorder brought on by a traumatic event, most commonly seen among veterans returning from battle or victims of sexual assault. Symptoms of this mental conditions include things such as: unpleasant dreams of event, distress brought on by environmental cues, increase in fight-or-flight response, and alterations

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as mental health disorder triggered by a terrifying event (Mayo Clinic). This ordeal could be the result of some sort of physical harm or threat to the individual, family members, friends or even strangers (NIMH). While PTSD is typically associated with someone who has served in the military, it can affect more than just that genre of individuals. It could affect rape victims, victims in a terrorist or natural disaster incident, nurses, doctors, and police and fire personnel and bystanders. PTSD can manifest itself in many forms. The primary signs and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder include but are not limited to re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening

There are four main categories used to diagnose individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will relive, avoid, have negative moods, and have an increase in arousal. When people relive the traumatic event they will have flashbacks of things that occurred. Sometimes these happen as nightmares or hallucinations. Sometimes certain dates may make it worse. The person being effected with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will avoid people and places. The isolation from friends and family can lead to feeling detached. They may even lose interest in things they once enjoyed. The victim may start having excessive emotions. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can make you feel like you can’t relate to others, have loss of sleep, and outbreaks in anger.

An individual may also try to avoid memories of the event that he or she experienced. The individual may blame himself or herself for the traumatic event, even if there is no reason for them to do so, this is listed under an alteration in cognition in the DSM. The individual may also believe that no one can understand what he or she is feeling. Alterations of mood may mean that the individual is more irritable or angrier than before the event. After the event the individual may become hyper-vigilant or startle more easily.

A little background: PTSD is a psychological disorder formed from traumatic experiences that involves physical harm or the threat of physical harm that make the person feel stressed or frightened when they are no longer in danger. Signs and symptoms of PTSD can be grouped into three categories: Re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper arousal symptoms . The main treatment for this is psychotherapy or