Many teens experience events in their young lives that are traumatic. For most young people, they learn to work through the feelings and emotions associated with those events and move on with their lives. However, there are some teens who have great difficulty in processing what they feel after the traumatic event. If these feelings are left unresolved, these teens are vulnerable to developing mental illnesses such as PTSD. PTSD in teens can mushroom into major mental and physical health issues as they move toward adulthood.
How many teens have PTSD? This article will outline PTSD statistics in teens, what causes PTSD in teens, and how you can find PTSD treatment for your son or daughter. Thrive Teen is Southern California’s premier mental health treatment facility. Our evidence-based treatment programs help your teen and family work through trauma and come out the other side healthier, happier, and stronger.
Call us today to learn more about our Los Angeles teen therapy program.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. People with PTSD experience these events as emotionally or physically harmful and even life-threatening. This disorder is most commonly associated with military personnel. In reality, PTSD affects people of all ages, including teens.
PTSD is adolescence is marked by three major symptoms:
PTSD in teens can develop from a variety of events, including the following:
Other risk factors that also can lead to the onset of PTSD include:
The presence of the above risk factors does not mean adolescents will develop PTSD. If teens don’t receive help from an adolescent PTSD treatment program, a teen’s mental and emotional development will be stunted and may lead to substance abuse or developing other mental illnesses as they transition into adulthood.
How many teens have PTSD? The statistics may shock you.
Figures provided by the U.S. Department for Veteran Affairs show that 15% to 43% of girls and 14% to 43% of boys go through at least one trauma. Among this group, 3% to 15% of girls and 1% to 6% of boys develop PTSD.
The National Institute of Health also reports the prevalence of PTSD among adolescents was higher for females (8.0%) than for males (2.3%). Shockingly, PTSD and anxiety disorders in teens are often underreported, and the percentages of teens with PTSD may be much higher than what is reported.
For teenagers who struggle with PTSD, finding teen PTSD treatment is absolutely critical. While it is a top priority to find professional help, you must do your due diligence in researching the facilities that are best equipped to handle the unique needs of teens. Fortunately, an increasing number of teen mental health rehabs feature evidence-based treatment and experienced staff with a proven track record of success.
Thrive Teen is Southern California’s top-tier mental health treatment center. We offer a dynamic mix of modern and traditional therapies customized to meet your teen’s needs. Our experienced treatment team values compassion, empathy and inspires teens and their families to address and overcome mental illness to reach their true potential. Call Thrive Teen today to help your child overcome mental symptoms with our mental health services for teens in California.
