Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health condition that may affect anyone, even teenagers. Traumatic events and experiences such as natural disasters, car accidents, and cases of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse form PTSD triggers. Sometimes, the signs are not obvious since the traumatic moments can be invisible, so to speak. This makes it difficult for parents to recognize PTSD in their children. At Horizon Recovery, we hope that this article helps you explore what PTSD looks like in teens and discuss the possible treatment options that could improve your child’s well-being.
- What are the symptoms of high-functioning PTSD?
- What does PTSD look like in everyday life?
- What are the symptoms of PTSD trigger?
- How do you confirm you have PTSD?
What are the symptoms of high-functioning PTSD?
High-functioning PTSD is when a teenager appears to manage their life well–maintaining a job, getting decent grades, etc.–yet has PTSD. Sometimes, it is the things that are done well that may hide the symptoms of PTSD, hiding feelings, masking pain caused by traumatic experiences, and so on. Intrusive thoughts may bother them every day, or even flashbacks of the traumatic event, yet they can attend school, maintain friendships, and participate in various activities like someone who does not have PTSD.
The internal issues that a high-functioning PTSD teen experiences may be the following:
- Flashbacks: Teens may relieve the trauma through vivid memories.
- Nightmares: disruptive and troubling nightmares may reflect the traumatic experience they have undergone.
- Avoidance: The tendency to avoid situations can be done physically or emotionally.
- Mood Fluctuation: Teens may experience an emotional and mood rollercoaster throughout the day, becoming happy, irritable, anxious, or depressed quickly without obvious reasons.
- Physical symptoms: Though this may be less clear, headaches, stomachaches, or unexplained aches and pains are common bodily responses in those who have PTSD.
What does PTSD look like in everyday life?
PTSD is a mental condition that can cause a constant feeling of being on edge or easily startled. This is usually emotional but can be seen in other ways. Everyday sounds, sights, or smells can trigger emotional and physical reactions. For example, a teen who underwent a near-death experience in a car accident they survived may get emotionally distraught when they hear tires screeching or are in a car that comes to a quick stop.
In school, because teens with PTSD may struggle with memory, concentration, and retention, they may perform poorly in their academic pursuits. In their social circles, they may withdraw from social activities or become isolated, avoiding friends, church, and family for no obvious reasons. Physical symptoms may look like extreme fatigue or muscle tension, which have their effects.
Some teens resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms, like partaking in substance or alcohol abuse. This route to mitigate the feeling prompted by PTSD can only have cascading effects on their well-being as a result of the negative consequences. Other factors may complicate PTSD that may have been more easily treatable because of the various problems that arise from substance abuse.
What are the symptoms of PTSD trigger?
A PTSD trigger is something that reminds a person of their trauma and, unfortunately, causes a strong emotional or physical response. A trigger can range from anything like a person, a sound, a particular place, food, returning to the scene of the trauma, etc. Triggers can be numerous, though it is necessary to understand triggering patterns to help manage PTSD.
Some common symptoms of PTSD triggered by these reminders may include:
- Flashbacks
- Panic attacks
- Avoidance
- Hypervigilance
How do you confirm you have PTSD?
It is necessary to leave the confirmation and diagnosis to a health professional. If you suspect your teenager has PTSD, seek help from a mental health professional at our office. The National Center for PTSD recommends that a thorough assessment be made by a trained professional who has been educated and has experience diagnosing and treating the symptoms.
To confirm the diagnosis, the professional will have to discuss the possible traumatic events and experiences affecting your child. They will look for various signs and discuss whether or not they have intrusive thoughts, avoidance behaviors, and physical symptoms that are getting in the way of achieving a happy and well-adjusted life.
The diagnosis process can last longer than a month. This is why, as soon as you begin to have cause for concern, you must seek help for your teenager so that healing and management of their condition can begin as soon as possible.
Possible treatment options include talk therapy, exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), etc.
Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders in Teens at Horizon Recovery
At Horizon Recovery, we offer specialized treatment programs for teens with mental health like PTSD and addiction problems. Our programs seek to address the root causes of the problem. We aim to provide you and your family with the right help and to get you started as soon as possible for the sake of the one affected.
Please contact us with any questions you have at (602) 755-7858.
