How DBT Helps Teens with PTSD
June is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, and we at Mindful Healing are highlighting the way this disorder can affect teens and the ways they can get help.
What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
PTSD is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced trauma—a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. Many people associate PTSD with people who have served in the military and experienced combat. However, anyone can experience trauma, including teens. This trauma can be a car accident, the loss of a loved one, a physical or sexual assault…there are many ways trauma can occur. Sometimes, a teen can experience trauma over an extended period of time, such as several instances of physical abuse or ongoing physical health issues like your teen or their family member having cancer. This can lead to complex post traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) While PTSD may be caused by a single traumatic event, C-PTSD is caused by ongoing trauma which lasts for months or years.
How PTSD Affects Teen Brains
A study from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health shows PTSD in young people is characterized by both overt and developmental abnormalities. Notably, abnormal frontolimbic development (the growth of the brain system that is largely responsible for regulating emotions) may contribute to increasing threat reactivity and weaker emotion regulation as youth age. As a result of this, you might see your teen doing the following:
Panicking when reminded of the trauma
Being easily upset or angry
Extreme alertness (hypervigilance)
Poor sleep
Irritability and aggression
Trouble concentrating
Being jumpy or easily startled
DBT as a Treatment for PTSD
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) can be an effective treatment for teens experiencing symptoms of PTSD and C-PTSD. This method of therapy include individual sessions tailored to your teen’s specific needs, group sessions in which teens can learn and practice skills alongside their peers, and homework to practice the skills in any location…with family, at school, or . DBT for PTSD includes teaching teens skills, including mindfulness and distress tolerance, to help manage and cope with emotional distress in the moment. DBT also helps teens identify and replace maladaptive behaviors like physical aggression and self-harm. At Mindful Healing, we help teens with PTSD recognize that tension and conflict are part of our realities. We help teens practice radical acceptance and learn how to avoid black-and-white thinking: “Bad things happened to me, and I can still be a good person with a good future!” Additionally, Mindful Healing offers parent coaching, in which you can learn how to best support your teen’s mental health and skill-building.
If your teen has experienced a traumatic event (or trauma over months or even years) and is exhibiting concerning behavior, DBT might be the best option. Click here to schedule an appointment today!
