PTSD

PTSD-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in children is hard to diagnose before the age of 5 but it is possible younger children can experience PTSD. For school-aged children from ages 5-12 may not have flashbacks or problems remembering parts of the trauma, the way adults with PTSD often do. Children may put the events of the trauma in the wrong order. They might also think there were signs that the trauma was going to happen. As a result, they think that they will see the same sign again before another traumatic experience happens. Children think that if they pay attention, they can avoid future traumas.
Children of this age might also show signs of PTSD when playing. They might keep repeating a part of the trauma. These games do not make their worry and distress go away. For example, a child might always want to play shooting games after he sees a school shooting. Children may also fit parts of the trauma into their daily lives. For example, a child might carry a gun to school after seeing a school shooting.
In teenagers ages 12-18 some PTSD symptoms in teenagers begin to look like those of adults. One difference is that teens are more likely than younger children or adults to show impulsive and aggressive behaviors.
A child or teenagers could have PTSD if they have lived through an event that could have caused them or someone else to be killed or badly hurt. Such events include sexual or physical abuse or other violent crimes.
PTSD could also be caused by disasters such as floods, school shootings, car crashes, or fires. Other events that can cause PTSD are war, a friend’s suicide, or seeing violence in the area they live.
Child protection services in the United States get approximately 3 million reports each year. This involves 5.5 million children. Of the reported cases, there is proof of abuse in about 30%. From the cases reported and studied this is an approximate percentage of the various types of abuse that occur:…