Teens face many pressures and life changes, so when they experience trauma, it can be especially overwhelming. Highlighting PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, with PTSD Awareness Day and PTSD Awareness Month provides the opportunity to better recognise the effects of trauma within the community. This awareness will help you to know the signs of PTSD so that you can best support your teen.
If you believe that your teen may be experiencing the effects of an ongoing traumatic response, it is important to find them the care they need. Individualised trauma treatment is available with Venture Academy.
Know the Signs of PTSD
The signs of PTSD can differ greatly from one individual to another. But there are a few signs that you can watch for. Some common signs that someone you love is struggling with coping from a traumatic event include:
Sleep Problems
Either sleeping too little or sleeping too much can indicate that an individual is having difficulty coping. People with PTSD often report vivid dreams or nightmares, which can also restrict normal sleep patterns.
Trouble Concentrating
If your teen cannot focus on tasks or their schoolwork has been affected, this can be a sign of PTSD.
Rumination
Rumination is when an individual fixates on a specific thought and repeats that thought. Revisiting a traumatic event to make sense of it is actually quite common. However, when this behaviour continues for extended periods of time, it can be extremely psychologically damaging.
Avoidance
It is very reasonable to avoid the source of a site of pain, as this is a healthful way to heal both physically and emotionally. However, when that avoidance leads to delayed coping, it can restrict the healing process.
Anxiety
Untreated anxious feelings over time can become worse and lead to serious psychological conditions.
Emotional Numbness
When someone experiences emotional numbness, they have cut off access to their emotions. This is a sign that they are not employing healthful coping mechanisms.
If you recognise some of these signs in your teen’s behaviour, it may be time to seek a trauma treatment center that can guide your teen through their healing process.
Personalised PTSD Treatment
A personalised care plan is best for healing PTSD. Since there are many different types of traumatic events that can lead to PTSD, there are also many different treatment options. Getting the right help can reclaim your teen’s life. A personalised care plan may include:
- Our professional support can guide your teen to reclaim a personal sense of safety.
- We help your teen to identify and honor emotions while processing them in more healthful ways. This can be especially important for those who are experiencing a great deal of anger or sadness.
- Your teen can open a trusting dialogue with professionals who are trained to manage PTSD symptoms.
- Your teen can reduce rumination and flashback episodes by replacing them with more healthful coping mechanisms.
PTSD can be a treatable condition. Finding the right support for your child means that you can heal, as well. PTSD treatment can help to soothe or even alleviate your teen’s symptoms so that they can move beyond their experience and back into life.
You can alleviate your teen’s symptoms of PTSD with Venture Academy’s behaviour treatment programs.
Heal Past Trauma with Treatment at Venture Academy
If you believe your teen may be experiencing issues navigating trauma or is experiencing symptoms of PTSD, help them make health-informed decisions with Venture Academy’s 30-day assessment, intervention, and behaviour treatment programs. These programs offer your teen the support and learning tools to help them cope with trauma and PTSD side-effects positively.
If you are still feeling unsure, consider taking our interactive child behaviour test by calling 866.762.2211. It only takes about five minutes of your time and may assist you in taking the appropriate steps to restore the wellbeing of your teen.
