Imaginif

Sunshine Girl On A Rainy Day

Sometimes a teenager’s home life can closely resemble a war zone.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is “a condition in which victims of overwhelming and uncontrollable experiences are subsequently psychologically affected by feelings of intense fear, loss of safety, loss of control, helplessness and extreme vulnerability. In young people, the disorder involves disorganized and agitated behavior.”

According to a Harvard/Casey study, former foster children suffer PTSD at a rate twice that of Vietnam war veterans. Twenty-five percent of foster care alumni participating in the study experienced PTSD, as compared to only 12 - 13% of Iraq war veterans and 15% of Vietnam war veterans suffering from the disorder.

Immediate symptoms of PTSD can include:
- Tense muscles, body poised for fight or flight
- Desire to escape; feeling bored suddenly or anxious to leave
- Change in breathing; might hyperventilate or stop breathing
- Flash of irritation; defensiveness; heat rushes through body, might lead to angry outburst
- Distraction,  disorientation; blanking out at certain words or sentences, hearing seems distorted
- Frozen; feeling coldness in body’s extremities, such as hands or feet
- Headache when certain subject matter is being discussed
- Speechless terror, knot in throat, difficulty forming sentences
- Sudden thirst; dry mouth, sweaty palms, dizziness
- Stomach ache, nausea

Teens and Hypervigilance
The world seems threatening after a traumatizing experience. After experiencing and/or witnessing a life-threatening even, teenagers often believe that if they are vigilant enough, they will be able recognize the warning signs and avoid future traumas.

Teens can develop an exaggerated “startle response.” Their body and emotions are on “high alert” in order to ward off against future dangers. There is also a tendency to focus and fixate on things that are worrisome or frightening.

Fight, Flight or Freeze!
When fear from the past raises its ugly head and causes the body to react with fight-or-flight or freeze responses, the cycling back between these three responses can become a self-sustaining feedback circuit. The cycle takes on a life of its own. This pattern becomes imprinted in the neural networks as a self-perpetuating system. If left unchecked, symptoms become increasingly entrenched, and often worsen.

Nightmares and Flashbacks
Flashbacks can be elicited from even vaguely related cues of the initial threat — such as a loud noise, a reminiscent smell, a movement from the corner of the eye, a familiar building or the shadow of a person approaching from behind.

This is because traumatic memories are processed and stored differently than memories of ordinary events. “Normal” memories are encoded verbally, and thereby can be verbally communicated to others afterwards. But traumatic memories are experienced as emotions, sensations and physical states.

The trauma survivor faces an odd contradiction. The memories are so vivid, rich with emotional and sensory details. Yet it’s difficult to put words to these experiences, to make cognitive sense out of them. The phrase “speechless terror” is not a hyperbole; people literally cannot talk when affected in this way. PET scans demonstrate the physiological basis of this phenomenon: during flashbacks, oxygen levels and the verbal centers of the brain are affected.

Impact on High School Performance
It is difficult for teens who are traumatized to learn new things. The aftershock of trauma can include recurring intrusive thoughts, memory lapses and difficulty with focus, concentration and sustained attention. There is a sense of being scattered, distracted and unable to focus on work or daily activities. Making even simple decisions can seem overwhelming, because this requires sorting out relevant matters from the daily bombardment of information.

COPING MECHANISMS
1.) Knowledge: Empower teenagers to know what their triggers are, and to recognized when they are experiencing PTSD.  It’s important for teens to be aware of how they feel, both physically and emotionally, rather than disconnecting from those sensations.

2.) In the moment, they will need to know what is going on, and try to remind themselves that they are no longer trapped in the past. Hopefully they have established (or are establishing) more tools and resources than when the original trauma took place.

3.) During fight-or-flight response, teenagers might forget to breathe or start to hyperventilate. The first step to getting breathing back to normal is to force a yawn. Then, breathe in and out as slowly as possible.

4.) Support their development of personal boundaries: In the moment, a teen might need time to calm down. Or, the teen might want the comfort of another person, who is trustworthy, stable and secure.

5.) Consider leaving the situation: If a teenager is alone, he or she can whisper encouragement to themselves, as a reminder that they are not powerless.  Teens can also stomp their feet to remind themselves that they can run away or kick if the situation became dangerous.

Sources:
Breno, A. and Galupo, M. Sexual abuse histories of young women in the U.S. child welfare system: A focus on trauma-related beliefs and resilience, Towson University.
Darling Villena-Mata, Ph.D. Flashback Intervention Tool
McGraw, P. (2004).It’s not your fault: How healing relationships change your brain and can help you overcome a painful past. IL: Bahaii Publishing.
Pecora P., Kessler R., Williams J., et al. (2005). Improving family foster care: Findings from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study. Seattle, WA: Casey Family Programs.
Whitfield, C, M.D.. (2006). Boundaries and Relationships: Knowing, Protecting and Enjoying the Self.