DSM 5 CRITERIA PTSD IN CHILDREN FULL

DSM 5 CRITERIA PTSD IN CHILDREN FULL

Furthermore, some studies suggest that those who do not meet the full diagnostic threshold for PTSD may benefit from a more flexible dimensional perspective, as they still may be at risk for developing undesirable psychiatric sequelae. Providers suspicious of impending manifestations of PTSD in the acute aftermath of a PTE should ardently monitor the patient and enlighten the family regarding salient features to be aware of in this condition. Primary healthcare teams are, for lack of a better colloquialism, ‘the first line of defense’ in the setting of PTE. As most families will initially present to their primary care provider for assistance, it is imperative for clinicians to be cognizant of the phenomenology of PTSD in children. Prior to initial exposure to post-traumatic events, providers and educators can implement proactive measures to equip the youth - especially those at high risk - with beneficial coping skills, safety planning, and psychoeducation. Lastly, in moderate to severe cases, children should be referred to specialists who are trained to treat PTSD in the pediatric population. Of the psychotropic alternatives, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) have the most support. Because of developmental neurobiological differences between youth and adult patients, the consensus remains ambiguous regarding the administration of pharmacological agents. Other therapies include play therapy, psychological first aid, and multisystemic therapy. However, more research is required to properly assess its efficaciousness. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is a popular alternative. Trauma-centered cognitive-behavioral therapy currently has the most unequivocal evidence supporting its implementation in the treatment of pediatric PTSD. Psychotherapy is encouraged by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) as the first-line treatment in the setting of pediatric PTSD. Whereas a more discrete change in behavior transpires in acute PTE, exposure to protracted PTEs incites more insidious and pervasive complications. Moreover, complex trauma disorder can present even more ambiguously in children. Internalizing and externalizing symptomatology that can manifest in the setting of PTSD include separation anxiety, shame, guilt, low frustration tolerance, hyperarousal, impulsivity, temper outbursts, hostility, defiance, aggression, irritability, and mood changes. It is likely that adults will relegate manifestations of PTSD as disagreeable youthful behavior. However, the phenomenology of PTSD in younger demographics is often more complex and can mimic variant internalizing and externalizing disorders. Ĭommon to both the adult and pediatric population are the foundational elements of post-traumatic stress disorder: re-experiencing of the trauma through intrusive and recurrent thoughts, avoidance of associated stimuli, negative modifications in mood, and alterations in reactivity and arousal. The consequences of PTSD are often deleterious, with adverse outcomes in physical and mental health besides impaired social and occupational functioning. PTSD is defined by four symptom clusters: avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, intrusion, and hyperarousal per DSM-5. The transition from DSM IV to DSM-V acknowledges this inconsistency, made evident by the additional criteria specific to PTSD for children six years or younger. Children often react differently to stressful events, and because of this, the pediatric phenomenology of PTSD differs from that of adults. It has been suggested that a substantial number of children have gone inappropriately undiagnosed because of the insufficient sensitivities of previous guidelines. Moreover, recent studies have unmasked unsettling discoveries regarding pediatric considerations in the setting of PTSD. Not to be misled by the putative simplistic nature of the etiology, the consequent psychiatric sequelae can, in turn, be debilitating. The temporal association between the event exposure and the subsequent symptom manifestation is not simply a post hoc fallacy. Thus, the causal nature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) places it in the company of a scant few psychiatric diagnoses where etiology is known. To the detriment of humanity, these endeavors frequently resulted in fruitless pursuits, as we still can only postulate the etiologies of many illnesses. Since time immemorial, scientists have pursued the ever-elusive causal origins of disease processes. Traumatic events may include incidents that involve serious harm to self or others and include accidents, natural disasters, sexual or physical trauma, natural disasters, and violence.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may develop in some children and adolescents after exposure to a traumatic event.

Dsm 5 criteria ptsd in children