How to Determine if Your Adolescent Has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, used to be a disorder diagnosed in veterans coming back from war. Once known as "shell-shock," the National Institute of Mental Health now defines PTSD as an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure or witness to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Such events include: natural and human-made disasters such as earthquakes, floods, violent assaults, kidnapping and child abuse; car and airplane crashes and train wrecks; and being involved in war. Currently, the mental health community has realized that children and adolescents who have been exposed to traumatic incidents have been found to exhibit signs of PTSD similar to war veterans.

During a terrifying event, the nervous system activates its fight-or-flight response. Neurologically, this is meant to help the person in danger get herself out of harm's way. Adrenaline is released, as are other response hormones, to facilitate this. However, a person who is suffering from PTSD is often unable to "come down" from the fight-or-flight response and her nervous system continues to be activated.

Symptoms of adolescent PTSD can include depression, anxiety, quickness to anger, aggressiveness, substance use, panic attacks, and feelings of being out of control. Adolescents, in particular, often relive or retell the story of the event over and over. As noted by the Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, the difference between a stress reaction and PTSD is like the difference between sadness and deep depression; sadness is something that people experience and move through fairly quickly, while depression is deeper and lingering. So keep in mind that some behaviors associated with PTSD can also be seen in the developing teen who has not suffered a traumatic event.

What can you do to help? First of all, pay attention to your teen's patterns. Sleep, interactions with friends, school performance and behavior can all provide clues as to your adolescent's mindset.

Second, check around the Web for more information. The National Institute of Mental Health (http://www.nimh.nih.gov) as well as the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (http://www.ncptsd.va.gov) are good places to start. (The NCPTSD website is geared toward veterans, but has some good information about children as well).

Third, check with your own and your adolescent's health care provider. She may have some resources for you. Consider consulting a mental health provider to discuss your concerns. Therapy can help your teen explore and discuss the events in a safe environment.

Finally, encourage your adolescent to talk with you about what he's feeling when he's ready. Recent research shows that people who have gone through or witnessed traumatic events are sometimes better off if they're not pushed to talk about it. Sometimes revisiting the scenario too quickly or often can hinder the recovery. Remind your teen that there are many things that might arise and that what he's experiencing is a normal response. Help him think about the things in his life for which he's grateful, because sometimes just listing what he is grateful for can help him feel better.