June is national PTSD awareness month. Today my topic is PTSD in children.

The lingering trauma of childhood abuse is another sect of the population that may suffer from PTSD. Child abuse comes in different forms. It is physical, mental, emotional, sexual and neglect. Each indignation brings its own special hell for a child, and often children suffer multiple atrocities at the hands of their caregivers. 14-43% of children have experienced at least one traumatic abusive event prior to adulthood. In 2017 according to the American Humane Association 1,720 children died of abuse or neglect. 71.8% of those children were under the age of 3 and 49.6 percent were under the age of 1. While parents struggle with the line between discipline and abuse, abusive behavior can be traumatizing for a child and the affects may linger for a lifetime.

It is important to note that a child’s brain does not fully develop until around the age of 25. So during the formative years of development, especially the toddler years, a child does not process the abuse the way an adult would. They are taking in these actions as a part of life, not realizing that this is not normal or healthy for them. Professionals do not always agree on how PTSD forms or may be carried on through adulthood. What the statistics show is that females are more likely than males to develop PTSD. There are some determining factors on whether a child victim will develop PTSD.

·         The degree of perceived personal threat.

·         The developmental state of the child: Some professionals surmise that younger children, because they are less likely to intellectually understand and interpret the effects of a traumatic situation, may be less at risk for long-term PTSD).

·         The relationship of the victim to the perpetrator.

·         The level of support the victim has in his day-to-day life as well as the response of the caregiver(s).

·         Guilt: A feeling of responsibility for the attack ("I deserve it") is thought to exacerbate the changes of PTSD.

·         Resilience: the innate ability to cope of the individual.

·         The child's short-term response to abuse: For instance, an elevated heart rate post-abuse has been documented as increasing the likelihood that the victim will be later suffer from PTSD.

A child suffering from PTSD may have the following symptoms

·         Have problems sleeping

·         Feel depressed or grouchy

·         Feel nervous, jittery, or alert and watchful (on guard)

·         Lose interest in things they used to enjoy. They may seem detached or numb and are not responsive.

·         Have trouble feeling affectionate

·         Be more aggressive than before, even violent

·         Stay away from certain places or situations that bring back memories

·         Have flashbacks. These can be images, sounds, smells, or feelings. The child may believe the event is happening again.

·         Lose touch with reality

·         Reenact an event for seconds or hours or, in rare cases, days

·         Have problems in school

·         Have trouble focusing

·         Worry about dying at a young age

·         Act younger than their age, such as thumb-sucking or bedwetting

·         Have physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomachaches

Therapy’s for children who suffer from PTSD usually involve cognitive behavioral therapy and medications for depression and anxiety. However, there are other ways you can help a child suffering from PTSD.

·         Admit that the event happened. Pretending everything is normal won't help your child.

·         Be supportive and get counseling for children and teens who have seen or gone through a traumatic event. A child or teen may at first not want counseling. But it may be needed months or even years after the traumatic event.

·         Keep all appointments with your child's healthcare provider.

·         Talk with your child’s healthcare provider about other providers who will be included in your child’s care. Your child may get care from a team that may include counselors, therapists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Your child’s care team will depend on his or her needs and how serious the PTSD is.

·         Tell others about your child’s PTSD. Work with your child’s healthcare provider and school to create a treatment plan.

·         Reach out for support from local community services. Being in touch with other parents who have a child with PTSD may be helpful.

·         Take all symptoms of depression and suicide very seriously. Get treatment right away. Suicide is a health emergency.

Some other points to note about PTSD in children

·         PTSD is a mental health problem. A child with PTSD has constant, scary thoughts and memories of a past event.

·         A traumatic event, such as a car crash, natural disaster, or physical abuse, can cause PTSD.

·         Children with PTSD may relive the trauma over and over again. They may have nightmares or flashbacks.

·         PTSD is diagnosed only if symptoms keep occurring for more than 1 month and are negatively affecting the child’s life.

·         A child with PTSD may need therapy and medicine. They are at higher risk for other mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts

·         Call 911 if your child has suicidal thoughts, a suicide plan, and the means to carry out the plan.

Tomorrow, I will go into how childhood trauma affects adults and how to deal with a co-worker who is a sufferer of childhood trauma. There is so much more I can talk about when it comes to abuse, but for now, I'll leave you with this bit to chew on.

Links to references: (not in any format)

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051#:~:text=Good%20judgment%20isn't%20something,cortex%2C%20the%20brain's%20rational%20part.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/somatic-psychology/201104/the-lingering-trauma-child-abuse

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=post-traumatic-stress-disorder-in-children-90-P02579

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/fatality.pdf

June is PTSD Awareness month. So, I wanted to take a break from everything else going on to have a little discussion about PTSD.  And the importance of knowing how to deal with a loved one who is suffering from PTSD.

Did you know that 4.4% of Americans aged 18-64 are diagnosed with PTSD? And that between 2005-2015 138,000 military personal received a new diagnosis of PTSD? What is interesting about the military statistics is that not all those who suffer from PTSD receive a diagnosis or treatment due to the stigma that surrounds mental health and being weak in military culture. 10-20% is the AVERAGE POST-DEPLOYMENT PTSD PREVALENCE IN U.S. INFANTRY PERSONNEL. Can you imagine, living in those memories for the rest of your life? The sounds, the sights, the smells? It must be a nightmare each and every day to function in a society that has no idea what you have been through.

(https://www.cohenveteransbioscience.org/post-traumatic-stress/)

Now, Today I am focusing on military, but there are a lot of others out there who suffer from PTSD that are not related to military causes. I will get into those later. But today, my focus is on military related because it is near and dear to my heart.

Below are five major myths we need to stop believing about PTSD.

Myth #1: Only combat veterans can get PTSD.

Myth #2: Everyone who is exposed to a traumatic event develops PTSD.

Myth #3: People who develop PTSD are weak.

Myth #4: PTSD cannot be treated.

Myth #5: PTSD is a personal issue.

(https://www.iaffrecoverycenter.com/blog/myth-vs-facts-about-ptsd/)

People who suffer from PTSD are NOT WEAK! I cannot emphasize that enough. The unfortunate side of effect of believing that PTSD makes you weak is suicide. Especially, veteran suicide. The feeling that they are so lost, hurt and weak so they do not deserve to live. On average 22 veterans a day commit suicide for many reasons, homelessness, PTSD, drug addiction, hopelessness. This is unacceptable when we have so many programs out there to help service members, but they either don't know about them, cannot gain access to them, or are too afraid to utilize them for fear of being weak. Worst of all, they do not have family to support them.

Family members of those who suffer from PTSD also are not educated or mentored in how to help their loved one who is suffering. We all want to help "fix" the problem, but often we don't recognize the signs of a PTSD attack, or how to deal with it when it does happen. Even we don't listen to our loved one when they tell us they are in an uncomfortable position. We often advise them to get over it, or it will get better, just try and you’ll be fine. It is important for loved ones to recognize how their veteran reacts and behaves in certain situations. It gives you tools to be proactive in aiding them through navigation of a stressful situation. It is important to have conversations with your loved one to have a better understanding of their feelings and what scenarios may cause a reaction. Unfortunately, there is not much training for loved ones to help. However, there is a group out there dedicated in educating loved ones on PTSD awareness.

I met the guys from Project Refit (https://www.facebook.com/projectrefitus/ ) at a Jeep event last year and really loved what they were promoting. Not only are they doing virtual buddy checks as well as in person when COVID restrictions are lifted, they also provide literature, counseling, and help to families with members who suffer from PTSD. Giving them the tools, they need to help with their loved one. Helping not only the service member or first responders, but the families is what made me most excited about their cause. It is hard as the family of a loved one who suffers from PTSD to navigate how to help our them deal with stressful situations. It would have been a blessing to not have to figure it out on our own, and to have that support system on our side when he first came home. I am LOVING what these guys do and hope that you will take the time to check them out.

In an effort to bring light to PTSD and to veteran suicide below are some links to share with your loved ones on how to obtain help for PTSD, for veterans’ benefits, and for understanding and preventing suicide. While this post ran long, I do have more to mention and will continue this conversation another day. But for now I am also providing links to the veteran’s crisis line (https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/), and to the Mission 22 Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Mi22ion.) I’ll provide more information on their services later, as well as bring information to those not in the military and other forms of PTSD.

I hope even one person finds this information helpful and will utilize it to help others. As always, if you have questions just ask. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll certainly find it for you. I hope you all have a blessed day.