How to Identify Stress in Your Child
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents may include the following, but vary among individuals. Such symptoms are indicative of PTSD when they reflect a change from the individual’s prior functioning, behavior, or emotional experience.
To identify stress in your child, look for these symptoms:
- difficulty sleeping
- sad or depressed mood
- feeling jittery or on guard
- being easily startled
- loss of interest in things they used to enjoy
- feelings of detachment, numbness, and lack of responsiveness
- periods of blanking out, staring off while awake
- discomfort with physical affection
- irritability
- increased thoughts about and fear of dying
- regressive behaviors (baby talk, thumb sucking, bedwetting)
- increased complaints of physical discomfort often with the bodily location changing frequently (headaches, stomach aches)
- increase in aggressive behavior
- avoiding certain places or situations that bring back memories
- flashbacks or intrusive images
- losing touch with reality
- reenactment of an event for a period of seconds or hours or, very rarely, days
- difficulty concentrating
If your child has experienced a traumatic event, and you are noticing any of the above signs of distress or trauma, contact me or seek other professional help as soon as possible.