Can trauma cause mental health problems?
Many kids face difficult events and recover from them on their own with time. But some children or teens have trouble functioning because of trauma or continue to struggle for a long time after an event has ended. They might develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health problem where you struggle to recover after a difficult event and do important things at school, home, or with friends.
Possible traumatic events
Children or teens may experience trauma in other situations where they feared for their safety, believed they would be harmed, witnessed violence, or feared they might lose a loved one.
Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
Neglect from caregivers
Accidents (such as a car crash)
Natural disasters (like tornadoes, fires, or floods)
Sudden or violent death of a loved one
Separation from loved ones (like entering foster care)
Discrimination, prejudice, or racism
Violence at home or in the community (like school shootings)
Serious health events (like a major surgery)
Military family stress (like deployment, loss, or injury)
Refugee or war experiences
What are the symptoms of trauma and PTSD?
Intrusive Thoughts or Reactions:
- Repeated scary memories of the event
- Playing about the event or related themes
- Bad dreams about the event
- Feeling as if the event is happening again, even though it’s not
- Strong emotions or behaviors when reminded of the event
- Have a hard time focusing or remembering things
Avoidance:
- Trying hard not to think or talk about a scary event
- Staying away from people or places that remind them of the event
Negative Thoughts or Feelings:
- Feeling less happy or loving toward others
- Feeling afraid, angry, guilty or ashamed a lot of the time
- Not want to do fun things or play anymore
- Difficulty remembering big parts of the event
- Blaming themselves for the event
- Negative beliefs about themselves (“I’m bad”), the world (“the world is unsafe”), or others (“I can’t trust anyone else”).
Changes in Physical or Emotional Reactions
- Anger and irritability
- Reckless or impulsive behavior
- Constantly looking for danger
- Feeling jumpy or easily scared
- Sleep problems
- Problems concentrating