Teens suffer PTSD too, even more when they go into combat

Teens suffer PTSD too, even more when they go into combat
by Chaplain Kathie
Wounded Times Blog
August 18, 2012

When it comes to PTSD, I read just about everything that comes out. I am searching for answers and hoping one day something new will come out that hasn't been done before. Once in a while I read a great report that illustrates the basic design of the brain is the same in everyone. PTSD is caused by trauma but everyone exposed to the same event will not develop PTSD. The more I learn about PTSD, age appears to be a huge factor.

There is a great report on NPR PTSD Isn't Just A War Wound; Teens Suffer, Too talking about how 4 percent of teenager boys and 6 percent of teenage girls have it.

'A Total Nightmare'

The night Stephanie Romero turned 23, she and a friend were attacked by a stranger.

"My friend went outside to have a cigarette, and there was this guy — he came out; he was harassing us," she says.

The man hit her and her friend, leaving Romero shocked.

"It was just a total nightmare," she says. "I think about it all the time. I've never gone through anything like that."

After the attack, Romero's friends and family noticed she was acting differently. She didn't go out as often. Her weight started changing. She was really depressed. Later, doctors diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I was like, PTSD? I thought it was just for veterans," Romero says. "But I found out it's not; it's for anyone who's experienced an event where you keep thinking about it and it takes over your life."

There are two things to point out here. One is that PTSD is caused by a traumatic event.

PTSD Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff

You can develop post-traumatic stress disorder when you go through, see or learn about an event that causes intense fear, helplessness or horror.

Doctors aren't sure why some people get post-traumatic stress disorder. As with most mental health problems, PTSD is probably caused by a complex mix of:

Your inherited mental health risks, such as an increased risk of anxiety and depression
Your life experiences, including the amount and severity of trauma you've gone through since early childhood
The inherited aspects of your personality — often called your temperament The way your brain regulates the chemicals and hormones your body releases in response to stress

It is considered a "mental illness" because it hits the brain.

Types of Mental Illness Anxiety disorders: People with anxiety disorders respond to certain objects or situations with fear and dread, as well as with physical signs of anxiety or nervousness, such as a rapid heartbeat and sweating. An anxiety disorder is diagnosed if the person's response is not appropriate for the situation, if the person cannot control the response, or if the anxiety interferes with normal functioning. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias.

This list goes on to discuss

Mood Disorders, Psychotic disorders, Eating disorders, Impulse control and addiction disorders, Personality disorders, Adjustment disorder, Dissociative disorders, Factitious disorders, Sexual and gender disorders Somatoform disorders and Tic disorders: Other diseases or conditions, including various sleep-related problems and many forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, are sometimes classified as mental illnesses, because they involve the brain.

The second point is that the age of males and females entering into the military usually begins at 18. By the time they are at emotional maturity they could very well have been deployed a couple of times exposed to many traumatic events.