Any traumatic event at any point in a person’s life has the ability to cause post-traumatic stress disorder. There may be varying degrees of how PTSD is handled by a person, and this can change even more depending on the age of the person. Some people might be surprised to learn that adolescents can experience PTSD just like adults due to traumatic events involving things such as neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Here are a few types of adolescent PTSD.
Uncomplicated PTSD
This type of PTSD occurs by reliving the traumatic event over and over. The adolescent may avoid things that trigger memories of the event or even become emotionally numb. The good news is that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, a common method of treating adolescent PTSD, can be successful here.
Complex PTSD
If an adolescent has been exposed to a traumatic event or situation over a long period of time, it may develop into complex PTSD. This can result in an antisocial personality disorder, and the adolescent may become aggressive, start abusing drugs or alcohol, develop eating disorders, become self-destructive, and suffer from extreme emotions and mental problems. Treatment for this may take some time.
Acute Stress PTSD
This manifests through panic, insomnia, confusion, and the inability to take care of one’s self. This can happen from a severe trauma that lasts a while and exposes the adolescent to things like death, loss, and destruction. Crisis intervention may be needed here.
These types of adolescent PTSD may be the most common, although there are other types as well. If you have an adolescent suffering from PTSD, it might be wise to seek out help from an experienced Psychiatrist NYC specialist as soon as possible.
