Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adolescents

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This paper is a discussion of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescents. PTSD is a relatively recent diagnosis which recognizes the fact that the direct or indirect experience of traumatic events can trigger severe psychological responses that present through a series of related symptoms and interfere with the individual's ability to function. When such trauma occurs to an adolescent, the results can be especially disruptive since they are happening during a critical period of development and can also interfere with personality formation and the individual's process of learning to cope with the world. Diagnosis is complex; a range of criteria must be present in order to diagnose PTSD accurately. Early intervention can help to mediate the impact of trauma, as can factors in the individual's life, including personal resilience and social support. Trauma can also be aggravated by the presence of other stressors and the context in which the trauma occurs, and effective treatment must address all of the factors surrounding the trauma.

PTSD as a psychiatric diagnosis has its origins in the psychological reactions of combat veterans, especially those who fought under particularly violent, brutal battle conditions. Mary Desmond Pinkowish (1999, October 15) observes,

Today, . . . the diagnosis is applied broadly to the development of multiple affective, cognitive, behavioral, and identity reactions to any number of traumatic life experiences, including a

. . .
n L. Printz and his colleagues (1999, Winter) note, "The experience of stressful events during childhood greatly increases an individual's vulnerability to behavioral and psychological maladjustment" (p. 716). PTSD may be even more damaging when it happens during adolescence. Kathiann M. Kowalski (2000, September) notes, "While everyone experiences stress, the teenage years present special challenges" (p. 7). This is an important time in every aspect of individual development. Ajdukovic (1998, Spring) observes: Adolescence . . . is a critical period of development characterized by dramatic psychological, emotional, and cognitive changes . . . Adolescents [dealing with traumatic events] face issues of security and social structure that threaten normal biopsychosocial development . . . The basic processes that characterize adolescence . . . cannot proceed normally (pp. 209-210). While PTSD, by definition, interferes with normal functioning, it can be especially damaging when it also impairs the individual's learning of such functioning. Occurring during the time in which the individual is learning to cope independently, PTSD can be especially devastating to the psychosocial development process. Margaret Dempsey and her
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Some common words found in the essay are:
TREATMENT Pinkowish, Mental Disorders, , Kathiann Kowalski, POPULATION Pinkowish, Stephen Buka, Margaret Stuber, Rex Forehand, Marina Ajdukovic's, Derek Summerfield, october 15, 1999 october 15, pinkowish 1999 october, pinkowish 1999, 1999 october, 1997 september, 1998 april, colleagues 1998, natural disasters, ptsd occur, traumatic events, traumatic event, colleagues 1998 april, forehand colleagues 1998, buka 1997 september,
Approximate Word count = 2773
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adolescents

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