General Description
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that has its onset following exposure to a traumatic event. A traumatic event is when an individual experiences or witnesses an event that was severe enough to risk actual or threatened death, serious injury or a threat to the integrity of self or others. Some examples may include an automobile accident, rape, kidnapping, torture, etc. There are three subtypes to PTSD. The first is acute, under this subtype the duration of symptoms is less then three months. The second is chronic, under this subtype the duration of symptoms last three months or more. The third is with delayed onset, under this subtype symptoms appear at least six months after a traumatic event.
In children's dreams of the events may change into nightmares about monster, events dealing with rescuing other, or threats to self of others. Children may also act out the events with toys.
Diagnostic Criteria
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC.
An individual could be diagnosed with PTSD if:
- The person was exposed to a traumatic event during which both of the following occurred:
- The person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event(s) that involved death or serious injury, or a threat to self or others.
- The person responded with fear, helplessness, or horror. In children this may be seen through disorganized or easily annoyed behavior.
- The event is experienced by:
- Reoccurring distress due to recollection of the event. (Children may do this through repetitive play that acts out the trauma).
- Reoccurring distressful dreams of the event. (Children may have frightening dreams without specific content).
- Acting or feeling that the event is happening again. (Children may reenact the event).
- Distress when associated with things that resemble or symbolize an aspect of the event.
- The individual tries to avoid things that remind them of the trauma, and becomes numb to general responsiveness (which was not present before the event) in such a way that meets three or more of the following symptoms:
- Tries to avoid thoughts, feeling, or conversations about the traumatic event.
- Tries to avoid activities, people, or place that remind them of a traumatic event.
- Unable to remember important parts of the event.
- Loss of interest in participating with others and activities.
- Feeling detached from others.
- Diminished emotional capacity (unable to have love feelings).
- Can not see themselves in the future.
- Reoccurring symptoms of increase arousal indicated by two or more of the following:
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep.
- Irritable or explosions of anger.
- Having a hard time concentrating.
- Hypervigilance.
- More intense startle response.
- Symptoms in 2,3,and 4 last longer than 1 month.
- The distress interferes with the individual's ability to function in their everyday life.
Etiology
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC.
There is evidence that PTSD may be inheritable. Also a history of depression in first-degree relative increased the chances of developing PTSD.
Prevalence
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC.
Community-Based Studies reveal that lifetime prevalence for PTSD is about 8% of the adult population. Of people exposed to a traumatic event one-third to 50% of the victims experience PTSD.
EBP Treatment Approaches
Listed below are either evidence-based practices or promising practices that have been successful at treating PTSD.
Psychosocial Treatment
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Orcas, R.; Repellent, S. C.; Ah mad, A. (2004). Treatment of traumatized refugee children with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in a psychodynamics context. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. 58(3): 199-203.
Note - Full text is available through the University at Buffalo Libraries.
References
Pfefferbaum, B. (1997, Nov.) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in children: a review of the past 10 years. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 36(11):1503-1511.
Note - Full text is available through the University at Buffalo Libraries.
Collection of Evidence-Based Treatment Modalities for Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Treatment Needs
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Links
APA Practice Guideline
Expert Consensus Guideline
Practice Guideline Clearing House
Practice Guideline Gateway
Diagnosis, Treatment, Research Gateway
National Center for PTSD
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
David Baldwin's Trauma Info Pages
Sidran Foundation
Yahoo! Health - Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Gift From Within
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Gateway
to PTSD information
The Violent Death
Bereavement Society
Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavoiral Therapy
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Blueprints for Violence Prevention
Below is a link to stories about people's experiences with trauma. The topics of the stories that pertain to children and adolescents include: addiction, auto accidents, child and adult sex abuse, compassion fatigue, coping with a national tragedy, grief, PTSD treatment, recovery and healing, resiliency, and school disasters.
http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/articles.html
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Note - Click on topic. (Please note disclaimer).
The AACAP developed Facts for Families to provide concise and up-to-date information on issues that affect children, teenagers, and their families.
The AACAP website includes facts, statistics, and overviews of different problems children and adolescents face and different mental health disorders that affect children and adolescents.
Fact Sheets from the National Institute of Mental Health
Note - Click on "select a topic".
NIMH offers a variety of publications and other educational resources to help people with mental health disorders, the general public, mental health and health care practitioners, and researchers gain a better understanding of mental illnesses and the research programs of the NIMH.
This website includes facts, statistics, pamphlets, checklists, and overviews of mental health disorders.
Fact Sheets from the National Mental Health Association
Note - Click on topic.
The NMHA offers answers to frequently asked questions, facts, statistics and overviews about different mental health disorders, as well as information about treatments and other problems that affect children and adolescents.
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