The new face of PTSD ~ Part 1

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)  is an anxiety disorder that some people acquire after seeing or living through a traumatic event. An emotionally healthy person, in a dangerous situation, will have a natural responsive fear trigger that prepares them to either take action or flee from the situation; this is referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response.  People who are afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have an altered “fight-or-flight” response. They may feel highly anxious or frightened when they are not presently in any danger.

Although PTSD has likely existed ever since human beings have experienced trauma, the American Psychiatric Association did not officially recognize the disorder until 1980. However, PTSD was referred to using different names as early as the American Civil War, during which combat soldiers were considered to be suffering from "soldier's heart." Until recently, PTSD has been most closely associated with soldiers returning from combat but this disorder has become highly prevalent in a new and somewhat unexpected group: Adolescents and Teens.

PTSD statistics in adolescents and teens reveal that more than 40% of children have experienced a minimum of one traumatic incident. Within the United States as many as 60% of kids surviving through a traumatic situation have this disorder. The youth of today have experienced The Gulf War, the tragedies of September 11th, The Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War. In conjunction with the aforementioned horrors, kids are exposed to very adult situations without the emotional or mental development necessary to navigate through these situations.

Due to the fact that a child is not developed mentally, emotionally, or physically, treatment for adolescents and teens with PTSD is quite different then treatment for adults suffering from this disorder. Furthermore, the availability of information to quality treatment for these young people is limited. The future of our community belongs to the youngsters in it. We as a community must first acknowledge that the young members of our community may be suffering from PTSD and then take appropriate actions on their behalf to ensure that quality treatment is readily accessible.