web analytics
Skip to main content

Teen Trauma Disorders Treatment

Trauma is an individual experience. Derived from the ancient Greek for wound, a traumatic experience is any experience leaving a lasting psychological mark on a person. What makes an experience traumatic is completely within the eye of the beholder. Some people survive accidents physically and mentally unscathed, while others grapple for years with a feeling of terror. The factors influencing trauma disorders are largely external, but trauma can be genetic. Some teens are more prone to developing trauma disorders than others.

Some experiences are universally harrowing, such as experiences of sexual assault, natural disasters, and war – and these leave a mark on any of us. But the degree to which trauma can affect a person is also very individual, with different symptoms and ways of coping. It’s estimated about 40 percent of children and adolescents will or have experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime, but only a portion of people develop trauma disorders as a result.

Symptoms of Teen Trauma Disorders

Teen trauma disorders are characterized by lasting symptoms of behavioral and mental scarring because of a traumatic experience. We all cope with tragedy and pain at some point in our lives, but traumatic experiences leave a much longer-lasting mark, and in cases where a disorder develops, it can stay for years and decades. Symptoms identifying teen trauma disorders can include:

  • Avoiding trauma triggers
  • Experiencing frequent nightmares, flashbacks, unwanted thoughts, and memories
  • Feelings of severe anxiety, or emotional numbness
  • Trouble with concentration and coherence
  • Appearing distant and “not there”
  • Feeling detached from their own experiences
  • Avoiding other forms of stress
  • Insomnia and sleeplessness
  • Blocked memories and amnesia

Types of Teen Trauma Disorders

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder can begin within a month after a traumatic event, but sometimes, it can take months or years for symptoms to develop. The four main characteristics of PTSD include intrusive memories, negative coping and mood changes, changes in physical and emotional reactions (greater sensitivity and more prone to fright), and avoidance (of people, sounds, events, and so on).

Dissociative Disorder

A dissociative disorder is characterized by feeling separate from one’s own experiences. The prevalent theory is some people develop dissociative symptoms to cope with the severity of a traumatic experience, often blocking the memory of people, things, and the event itself to “protect” the mind. Dissociative disorder is further split into three unique archetypes, including dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder (previously multiple identity disorder), and depersonalization disorder.

Visions’ Teen Trauma Disorders Treatment Program

The symptoms of a teen trauma disorders are complex, and individual teens react very differently to different experiences. At Visions, we believe in the importance of developing a unique teen trauma disorders treatment plan for every case.

Our facilities make use of a wide repertoire of therapeutic tools and are staffed by experts and specialists from different fields of medicine and psychiatry. We rely on a thorough assessment process to figure out the best way to help every teen who comes to Visions. Some of the teen trauma disorders treatment tools we utilize include:

Psychotherapy

Talk therapy or psychotherapy is still a central tool for treating trauma disorders, helping teens navigate the wounded and fractured effects of trauma, identify maladaptive coping methods, and figure out more effective behavioral and mental alternatives.

Medication

There are no medications addressing trauma specifically, however some of the symptoms of a trauma disorder include severe mood drops and thoughts of suicide. Antidepressants can help alleviate these symptoms and complement talk therapy, and help teens move away from thoughts of extreme self-deprecation and blame. Other rarely prescribed treatments include the alpha-blocker Prazosin, and anti-anxiety medication (sedatives).

Experiential Therapy

At Visions, part of our teen trauma disorders treatment process involves a variety of different experiential therapies, including music and art therapy, neurofeedback, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and exposure therapy.

OUR ASSESSMENT IS FREE, REQUEST A CALL TODAY

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    Bridging the Gap Between Teen Trauma Disorders Treatment and Recovery

    While time heals many wounds, trauma is often not one of them. Teen trauma disorders treatment must be addressed properly, and with great care. At Visions Treatment Centers, our teen trauma disorders treatment program help adolescents find healthy coping mechanisms, as well as effective therapies to reduce some of the destructive symptoms and thoughts accompanying a trauma disorder.