You said that your child experienced a very upsetting event. S/he has
been having a lot of problems ever since. Almost all youngsters go through
something that really affects them. Most children don't stay upset for
very long. Some children, however, stay upset for a long time. They have
the kinds of problems you mentioned. These children may have a problem
called Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
You said your child was in one of following situations:
Serious automobile accident
Natural disaster (i.e. flood, fire, earthquake)
The victim or a witness of physical abuse
The victim or witness of sexual abuse
The victim or witness of violence in the home or the community
Told s/he has a life threatening illness
Some other very upsetting situation
Right after the event, your child may have acted in some of the following ways:
Seemed troubled, restless, or confused
Was very fearful
Felt powerless
Was very angry
Seemed sad or withdrawn
Was horrified
Acted as if the bad event didn't happen
Didn't want to go to the place where the event happened
Your child may have re-experienced the traumatic event by:
Often remembering or talking about the event
Repeating the experience through play
Having bad dreams about the event
Having bad dreams about things like monsters, rescuing people, or people dying
Feeling like the bad experience is happening again
You may also notice that your child:
worries about dying at an early age
is not interested in doing fun things
has headaches or stomachaches
has sudden changes in mood
has problems falling or staying asleep
is irritable or angry
has trouble concentrating
acts younger than his/her age (i.e. clingy or whiny, thumb-sucking)
is overly aware of what's around him/her
repeats behaviors that remind him/her of the trauma
The symptoms of PTSD usually last for at least one month and can sometimes last
up to several years, if the child does not receive treatment.
