PTSD: A Guide for Teens and Parents
Have you ever had a bad experience that you just couldn’t shake? Did you think about it all the time, even when you didn’t want to? Did it make you feel as though you couldn’t do things you normally would do with ease, like driving, going to school or work, or visiting certain places?
While people often associate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with combat veterans or law enforcement officers, anyone can develop it…even teens. Experiencing a traumatic event can have a massive negative effect on the growing mind of a teen, and it can be so debilitating that they feel as if there’s no hope for the future. On top of that, it can be profoundly distressing for parents to learn that their teens have undergone traumatic experiences, and they might not know how to help.
This June, we at Mindful Healing are celebrating PTSD Awareness Month, and we are providing a guide for teens and their parents to help navigate the waters of this challenging disorder.
What is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic or life-threatening event. Events that can cause PTSD in a teen could be things like car accidents, violent acts such as getting beat up or sexually assaulted, natural disasters, a loved one dying, and many others. Even witnessing one of these things happening to someone else, such as domestic violence in the teen’s family, can result in PTSD. This disorder can disrupt daily life and can last for months or even years after the traumatic event. Sometimes, trauma isn't a singular event–complex trauma is a series of intense occurrences that accumulate, such as multiple incidents of abuse or neglect.
Some of the signs and symptoms of PTSD include:
Being easily startled or jumpy
Re-living the traumatic event in their thoughts
Avoidance, such as skipping out on school or social situations
Feeling numb, frozen, or disconnected from reality
Turning to substances for relief, such as drugs or alcohol
Mood swings and extreme responses to stress, like rage or sobbing
Nightmares or difficulty sleeping
Being unable to concentrate
Trauma experienced during critical stages of brain development, like the teen years, can lead to enduring negative repercussions, given the brain's heightened sensitivity during this period. This can push the brain into a constant state of vigilance, inducing stress responses that negatively affect both mind and body, elevating cortisol levels and potentially triggering fight-or-flight reactions.
What Can Teens Do if They Have PTSD?
If you’re a teen and you think you might have PTSD, the first step is to ask for help. Talk to an adult you trust, like your parents or a school counselor. Trusted adults can help connect you with services like therapy and psychiatry.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment for teens experiencing symptoms of PTSD. DBT has a combination of individual sessions tailored to your specific needs, group sessions with peers where you can learn and practice skills together, and homework to practice the skills anywhere you go. DBT for PTSD includes teaching 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. DBT also helps teens with recognizing and substituting maladaptive behaviors, such as physical aggression and self-harm, with healthier alternatives.
Above all, it is important to remember that there is hope for the future. At Mindful Healing, 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!”
What Can Parents Do if Their Teen Has PTSD?
First and foremost, it is important for parents of a teen with PTSD to listen empathetically, providing a warm, accepting, nonjudgmental response. Advocate for your teen if necessary–help them get the help they need, such as therapy or medication. Seek out a therapist experienced in trauma who can guide your teen through their healing journey. Along with taking care of your teen, recognize how the trauma impacts the entire family dynamic, and take care of yourself. Educate yourself about trauma to better understand your teen's behaviors and needs. Consider pursuing parent coaching in order to learn new skills to support your teen through their healing journey.
Along with what parents can do for their teen, it’s also important to know what NOT to do. Avoid dismissing or denying the occurrence of the traumatic event. Understand that they might have contradicting things to say about the event due to the overwhelming nature of the truth, and a skilled therapist can help guide them toward resolution. On the flip side, keep yourself from diving into the depths of their pain alongside them, as this can exacerbate their distress. Additionally, try to not tell your teen how to feel about the traumatic situation. Recognize that complex emotions, including love, hurt, anger, and fear, may coexist, especially in cases of abuse. Avoid telling your teen to move on or forget about the past. Allow them to process their experiences in their own time and manner.
