Cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in children are on the rise. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10 to 20 per cent of children and adolescents suffer from a form of mental illness globally. One of these mental illnesses is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A child who has PTSD will keep having scary thoughts and memories of a past traumatic or scary event. He or she will constantly find the event terrifying, either physically or emotionally, even by just thinking or remembering it.

There are various forms that post-traumatic stress disorder in children can emanate from. For example, it could be that the child was a survivor in a car that got involved in an accident with fatalities. It could be that the child has been exposed to physical abuse. Or it could be that the child got caught up in violence such as police vs robbers’ gun battles or police vs protestors’ street battles or even election violence. It could also be experiencing firsthand the death of a close family member.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in children

According to child therapist Damaris Kamau, when a child experiences such events, it will be normal for them to feel shaken. However, the child might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder if they’re still abnormally shaken, afraid, and traumatized beyond one month. This is echoed by a report on PTSD in children from the Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

“The symptoms of PTSD may start soon after a traumatic event. Or they may not happen for 6 months or longer,” the report cites.

According to the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, some children who come down with PTSD have long-term effects. “They may feel emotionally numb for a very long time because PTSD in children often becomes a long-term problem,” the hospital states.

According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine, anyone who has PTSD will have common symptoms that point to stress, anxiety, and depression. These symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in children may include:

• Intrusive thoughts or memories of the traumatic event
• Flashbacks of the traumatic event
• Upsetting dreams or nightmares relating to the traumatic event
• Hurt and fear when reminded of the event
• Feeling jumpy, startled, or nervous when something triggers memories of the traumati event
• Reenacting what happened in a play or drawings

According to child therapist Damaris, the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can arise suddenly, gradually, or come and go over time. At other times, they are triggered by something that reminds the child of the original traumatic event.

This could be something such as a noise, an image, certain words and phrases, or even a smell. While people experience PTSD differently, Damaris says that there are three most common types of symptoms your child might go through:

• Re-experiencing the traumatic event
• Avoiding reminders of the trauma
• Increased anxiety and emotional arousal

Post-traumatic stress disorder in children: Helping your child to cope

Children have the capacity to cope with a traumatic event if they receive the necessary support from parents and other trusted adults who they rely upon such as family members, role models, guardians, and teachers.

“The starting point is the recognition that any traumatic experience can easily mentally damage a child if left untreated. This recognition will prioritize attention to the child from the moment the trauma occurs,” says Damaris. “Help for the child should commence as soon as possible after the event has occurred.”

Before psychotherapeutic work can begin, it is important that the physical safety of the child be established. Damaris says that this will help to establish a feeling of safety for the child. Your child will first look to you for cues on how they should respond to a traumatic event.

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So let him or her see you dealing with their symptoms of the trauma in a positive way. “Communicate openly with children following trauma. Reassure them and let them know that it’s normal to feel scared, disturbed, anxious or upset,” says Damaris.

According to Damaris the most common reactions to trauma a child who has PTSD may show will usually include:

• Regression: The child may try to return to an earlier stage when they felt safer and more cared for. He or she may start to wet their bed or want a bottle; an older child may fear being alone. It is important to be patient and comforting if your child responds this way.
• Taking the blame: A child who is younger than seven or eight years may tend to think that if something goes wrong, it must be their fault—no matter how irrational this may sound to an adult. Be sure your child understands that they were not the cause of the problem; it was not their fault in any way.
• Sleep disorders: Some children have difficulty falling to sleep; others wake frequently or have troubling dreams. Try spending extra time together in the evening, doing quiet activities or reading with your child. Be patient. It may take a while before your child can sleep through the night again.
• Feeling helpless: This is a normal reaction after a traumatic event. You can encourage your child to write thank you letters to those who have been supporting them, who helped or cared for the affected. This will also help to bring a sense of hope and control to everyone in the family.

Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in children

According to the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, treatment for a child who has PTSD will depend on the symptoms they are showing, their age, their general health, and how advanced the PTSD is.

“Early diagnosis and treatment is very important for a child with this mental condition. This will ease their symptoms and safeguard their normal childhood development,” the hospital cites. There are two main forms of treatment that might be administered.

These include cognitive behavioral therapy and medications against depression and anxiety. With cognitive behavioral therapy, your child will be taught how to cope with their anxiety and how to suppress and overcome the event that triggered their PTSD.

Play therapy has also been proven to be effective in treating cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in children, especially in a child who has PTSD but can’t directly deal with the trauma.