Child PTSD Treatment in Evanston
Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that is caused by experiencing a deeply disturbing event that is threatening to one’s own or another’s physical or emotional safety. PTSD as a diagnosis was developed in response to traumatic symptoms of war veterans and it was once thought that children could not develop PTSD; however, we now know that that assumption was wrong.
What To Look For:
PTSD greatly affects a child or teen’s sense of physical and emotional safety and as a result they view their world with significant and persistent fear. Symptoms include:
- Generalized fear and anxiety
- Separation anxiety / clinginess to parents
- Avoidance of aspects (sights, sounds, smells, places) related to the trauma
- Sleep disturbance and nightmares
- Reptitive play depicting aspects related to the trauma
- Regression (i.e. the loss of a previously acquired skill such as toilet training)
- Feeling constantly alert and being easily startled
- Physical complaints
- Irritability
- Withdrawal
- Aggression
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Emotional numbness or not caring
- Guilt (i.e. feeling responsible for the event)
- Diminished interest in pleasurable activities
Possible Causes:
PTSD symptoms can occur as a result of either directly witnessing or being deeply personally impacted by a traumatic event such as:
- Natural disasters such as floods
- Man-made disasters such as plane crashes
- School shootings or even bullying
- Automobile accidents
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse or rape
- Neglect
- Being exposed to domestic violence
- Parental or peer death or suicide
- Community violence
- Being the victim of robbery or other assaults
- Life threatening illness and associated medical treatments
Risk Factors:
Not everyone exposed to a traumatic event develops PTSD. In fact, even when exposed to the same event, some individuals will develop symptoms and others will not. Response to trauma are influenced by the following:
- Severity of the trauma
- Physical proximity to the trauma
- The number of experienced traumatic events
- Individual attributes such as coping skills
- Age: the younger the child, the more likely symptoms are to develop due to a lack of verbal skills and cognitive understanding
- Gender: girls are affected at a higher rate
Treatment Options:
For a diagnosis of PTSD, symptoms must be present for more than one month after the event; however, that does not mean that treatment should wait. Of paramount importance is to seek immediate assistance. Although PTSD often has long-standing affects, it is treatable.
- Psychotropic Medication to decrease symptoms
- Individual Therapy to identify, express, and process feelings and to learn anxiety-reducing strategies thru talk, play, and art
- Psycho-Education to create a supportive, understanding, and nurturing environment
- Family Psychotherapy to help additional family members that may themselves be experiencing symptoms
- Community Support or Group Therapy to process feelings with others who experienced the same or similar trauma
- -School Services to minimize the negative affects of symptoms on academic progress
How You Can Help:
- Encourage your child or teen to label and express their feelings
- Support, understand, and praise your child without criticizing symptoms, particularly regressive behaviors
- As much as possible maintain structure and routines as before the incident
- Allow you child to make choices, even simple ones, to regain a sense of control
- Seek help for yourself or other family members that may also have been exposed to the trauma
Contact AFG Guidance Center at (847) 853-0234 for more information on post traumatic stress disorder.