Childhood Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is Surprisingly Common

Most people think of posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD as being a disease of adults who have undergone very stressful experiences, but childhood PTSD is surprisingly common - especially in very young children. According to an article published in Family Practice News, almost half of all children under the age of six develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder after undergoing a stressful experience - a disturbingly high number.

Researcher sponsored by the University of Southern California at Los Angeles and the University of California at Irvine looked at the incidence of childhood posttraumatic stress disorder in 284 children between the ages of three and five who had undergone a stressful experience such as a motor vehicle accident or a major injury. Using a special psychiatric assessment tool, they found that forty-four percent of these children had symptoms of childhood posttraumatic stress disorder.

Even more surprising was the fact that a second study showed that even minor trauma can bring on childhood PTSD symptoms - events as minor as having a medical procedure done. In these cases, childhood posttraumatic stress symptoms could still be seen a year to fifteen months after the procedure.

Are children more susceptible to childhood posttraumatic stress symptoms? One researcher, Dr. Stacy Drury, thinks so. She believes that children are more prone to childhood PTSD before the age of six because their central nervous systems are still developing. Stressful events can cause subtle changes in brain activity and levels of brain neurotransmitters and hormones that control mood and stress levels.

What does this mean? Preschool children may be especially susceptible to childhood PTSD. Parents need to be aware that stressors that seem minor to them - even medical procedures such as getting stitches - may cause enough anxiety in young children to precipitate symptoms of childhood posttraumatic stress disorder.

Children who show signs of childhood PTSD such as changes in mood, difficulty sleeping, reclusiveness, lack of interest in normal activities, anxiety, or unusual fear should be taken seriously. Researchers in this study are developing special behavioral therapies to help children with PTSD early on. They key is to seek help for a child who has symptoms. The earlier the treatment - the better the outcome.

References:

Family Practice News. May 1, 2010. page 25.