Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. Below is a video from the UK Trauma Council which talks about childhood trauma the brain. 

UK Trauma Council: Childhood Trauma and the Brain

This video explains the relationship between traumatic experiences, brain development and mental health. This video is 5 minutes 11 seconds.

Flashbacks are very strong memories where it seems like the event is happening again. They can be visual, tactile or involve other senses and are very common after a trauma. Memories can pop up out of the blue and make you feel like you are reliving the trauma in the moment. They can be uncontrollable, overwhelming and terrifying.

During treatment with CAMHS, you will be encouraged not to push these memories away or avoid reminders of the event. In fact, you will be gently encouraged to think about what happened with your therapist in order to sort through these memories and put them away.

It is okay if this feel scary at the moment, you won't be forced to do anything you don't want to do or aren't ready to do.

After a traumatic event the world seems like a much more frightening place, as if there is danger around every corner. It takes a while to put danger in perspective when it has been experienced first-hand.

As a result, you may notice that your young person tries to overprotect you and others and goes out of their way to avoid risk. They may, for example, phone you often or ask you to take special care when you go out. They may be jumpy and jittery, especially when reminded of what happened.

This may be frustrating or even frightening for you. You may find it hard to know what to do when they are scared.

You can help them by gently reminding them that the traumatic event is in the past and that they are safe now.

Please visit our anxiety page to find out more about anxiety.

Sleep problems are very common after a trauma including difficulties getting to sleep, waking during the night, nightmares and cold sweats, and waking early in the morning.

It is as if your body has remained on “red alert”, ready to flee, fight or freeze in the face of the danger that was present at the time of the trauma. This makes sleep difficult as it is hard to relax.

Once asleep, nightmares related to the trauma are common and the fear and other emotions that come with them can make you wake drenched in sweat or even shouting or screaming.

These problems may keep you awake too if you share a room or are nearby. It is important to look after yourself and make sure you get rest when you can.

Keeping a normal bedtime routine is important and, if you wake up upset, you might find reassurance from your parents and carers help you to feel safe. You can also use soft lights, fairy lights, lavender sprays, pictures and reminders to help yourself 'feel at home' more quickly if they wake from a nightmare.

You may find the YoungMinds pages on sleep helpful for more information.

Anger is a common reaction to trauma. It is normal to feel angry when someone or something causes us harm or distress. As you start to discuss your anger in treatment things should start to improve.

It might help to have conversations with school and college staff. 

You might find YoungMinds page on anger helpful for more information.

Loss of interest in things is linked to feeling sad and low in mood and can be particularly upsetting. You may notice you don't want to do the things you used to enjoy before the trauma.

These problems can put a strain on your relationships and family life, but it is important that you know that the symptoms are not due to your relationship itself but rather are caused by the trauma.

It is helpful to slowly start to engage in the things you enjoyed or were interested in before the trauma happened.

Feeling distant or cut off from loved ones and difficulties concentrating are common reactions to trauma. It is normal to have difficulty experiencing positive emotions and focussing on the here and now when constantly flooded by fear and anxiety from a terrifying experience.

You may feel like you don’t deserve affection and support from family and friends. These symptoms may be confusing, upsetting or frustrating, but it may be helpful to know you do care about them - you just can’t feel warm and happy emotions right now.

Feeling sad and low is common after a trauma, because you may have lost your sense of confidence and have been impacted hard by what has happened. This is really common when young people have sadly been affected by sexual trauma or trauma involving people they trusted or were close too. We know that for many young people, suicidal thoughts and urges to self-harm may occur.

This can be upsetting and frightening. But with treatment, as you start to process the trauma and make sense of what has happened, things will start to improve.

Try to talk to people you trust, and try and do things that make you feel a tiny bit better. Do talk with CAMHS too about the safety plan you’ve developed together to make sure it's working well.

Please visit our depression page to find out more about depression.

Some young people use alcohol or other drugs to help them cope with their reactions to a trauma - such as fear or sleeplessness - or to try to block out what has happened to them because it just feels so awful to think about it. Using alcohol or drugs makes treating PTSD much harder.

During treatment you will be asked to cut back on these things and that can be tough.

You may find YoungMinds page on drugs and alcohol helpful for more information.

It’s very common for people who have PTSD to feel misplaced shame or guilt. This is because we as humans can often interpret things as being our fault and often feel what we have been through just can’t be talked about.

A key part of our therapeutic work is to help address this head-on and help the victim shake off any misplaced shame or guilt.

It is normal to feel misplaced senses of shame or guilt. However these feelings are unfairly put on you – they should be felt by the people who perpetrated the trauma.  Trauma and the reactions to it are not your fault in any way.

If your life is in immediate danger, please call 999 or go to A&E.

• Text the word SUSSEX to 85258 (free NHS 24/7 mental health text-messaging support service)   
• Call NHS 111 and select the mental health option (free 24/7 advice service for anyone concerned about their own, or someone else’s, mental health)   
• Call Samaritans on 116 123 (free 24/7 listening service providing support and advice for anyone having thoughts of suicide). You can also email: jo@samaritans.org    
• Call Hopeline247 on 0800 068 4141 (free 24/7 listening service offering support and advice for young people having thoughts of suicide). You can also email: pat@papyrus-uk.org or text: 88247  
• Call Childline on 0800 1111 (free 24/7 support and advice for young people who want to talk about how they are feeling). You can also speak to a trained professional via web chat: https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/1-2-1-counsellor-chat/  

If you do not current have a lead practitioner within CAMHS and you are waiting for treatment, you can contact the CAMHS duty team if your mental health gets worse and you need some support. The duty team is not an emergency service, and you can expect to get a response within 2 to 14 working days, if you require more urgent help, you should call 111/999/attend A&E.

Websites

YoungMinds

This website link explains what PTSD is, the causes and symptoms of PTSD and ways to look after yourself.

Videos

UK Trauma Council: Coping with scary and distressing memories

This video explains why you get scary memories and how to cope with them. This video is 3 minutes 15 seconds.

UK Trauma Council: Childhood Trauma, War and Conflict

This videos explains the impact of trauma from war and conflict and how this affects children and young people. This video is 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

YoungMinds - supporting your child or young person

The link below describes what trauma is, how to identify if your young person is being affected by trauma and what you can do to help them.

Trauma and Mental Health | Guide For Parents | YoungMinds

Anna Freud - Supporting Children and Young People

The links below provide information on supporting children and young people with PTSD. They give an overview of the PTSD, signs to look out for and how to support them.

Supporting children and young people with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | Anna Freud

Videos

UK Trauma Council: Coping with scary and distressing memories

This video explains why you get scary memories and how to cope with them. This video is 3 minutes 15 seconds.

UK Trauma Council: Childhood Trauma, War and Conflict

This videos explains the impact of trauma from war and conflict and how this affects children and young people. This video is 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

Please note some of these app may require payment or paid subscriptions to access certain features of the apps.

For parents and carers

Combined Minds

Combined Minds helps families and friends to find ways to provide the right environment to help the individuals they support affect their own change. This provides support to families and friends to help them understand and manage their loved one's difficulties including anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, digital addiction and safety planning.

For mindfulness and relaxation

Insight Timer

Free mobile app with virtual “bells” to time and support your meditations, and access to lots of guided meditations by many different meditation teachers.

Chill Panda

Chill Panda is a game-style app that incorporates breathing exercises and coping strategies to help manage anxiety in an interactive way. You can engage in the app by playing the full game mode or use the "Quick Chill" function to access skills quickly.

You may find other helpful apps on the Sussex Health and Wellbeing app library.

Please note that not all of these books may be available to loan at your local library.

For younger children

The Boy Who Built A Wall Around Himself by Ali Redford

Ideal for children aged 4 to 11 years old

A book for children that helps to explain traumatic or difficult experiences and how to cope with the emotions associated.

For older children and teenagers

My Life After Trauma Handbook by Bridie Gallagher, Sue Knowles, Reggie Worthington and Jade Baron

Ideal for children aged 12 years and above

This book helps children and young people to understand what their trauma and/or PTSD is, how it can effect them and provides strategies to help themselves. It includes stories from young people who have experienced trauma and share their story.

For parents and carers

Helping Your Child with Loss and Trauma by David Trickey and Vicky Lawson

This book helps parents and carers to understand their child's trauma and/or PTSD and how to best support them.

How to Cope When Your Child Can't: Comfort, Help and Hope for Parents by Roz Shafran, Ursula Saunders and Alice Welham

This book shares the experiences of parents and carers whose children have mental health difficulties. It helps parents and carers to understand their child or young person's difficulties, how you can support them and shares practical strategies for how to cope as a parent.