Children With Secondary Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
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Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be best described as an anxiety disorder occurring as a result of impact on the brain upon experiencing a terrifying incident or becoming a victim of a psychological trauma.
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There are several reasons resulting in incidence of post traumatic stress disorder including serious road accidents, domestic violence, military combat, sexual assault, physical abuse, kidnapping, life-threatening diseases like cancer, natural or man-mad disasters and terrorist attacks.
PTSD can occur at any age. However, incidence of this disorder is higher among children. In certain situations, there is an indirect effect on the people associated with the victims of PTSD, a condition better known as secondary post traumatic stress disorder.
Some symptoms of PTSD include depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, fear, impaired self esteem, hyperactivity aggressive behavior and increased psychiatric problems. Secondary PTSD has symptoms that are very similar to PTSD. Secondary PTSD is quite commonly observed in children of war veterans and in children whose parents are victims of a severe trauma. In these cases, all the emotions and agony of the parent has a direct impact on the child. Even non-traumatized children playing alongside traumatized children can experience symptoms of secondary PTSD. Children with secondary post traumatic stress disorder find it hard to communicate with people, experience difficulty in maintaining a social behavior and have the feeling of being detached from their parents.
Treatment of secondary PTSD is in many ways similar to PTSD. It is important to reduce stress conditions around such people. There are two different treatment methods that include psychotherapy and physical therapy. Psychotherapy involves psychological counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Physical therapy involves usage of particular type of medication known as antidepressants. There are certain other complementary therapies that are quite beneficial including physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage therapy, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, reflexology and tai chi.
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