by jphilo | Jan 22, 2010 | Advocacy and Research, Different Dream, PTSD
As I’ve mentioned in previous DifferentDream.com posts, (PTSD Treatment Can Change Your Child’s Life, PTSD and NICU Parents: What About You?, and Critically Ill Kids and War Veterans Have What in Common?) war veterans aren’t the only people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It also affects children who have endured invasive medical treatment, and PTSD can affect their parents, too.
Minnesota Public Radio’s Midmorning Show
PTSD nearly ruined our son’s life until he went through cutting edge treatment at the Intensive Trauma Therapy, Inc. in Morgantown, WV in December of 2008. So when he heard the topic of Minnesota Public Radio’s midmorning talk show for January 7, he told me to listen. I’m so glad he did.
University of Minnesota Brain Research
Karri Miller, host of the show, interviewed two scientists from the University of Minnesota. They imaged the brains of war veterans suffering from PTSD and the brains of people without PTSD. By analyzing and comparing the images, they located a PTSD marker in the brain. To learn more, you can go to this link and hear the entire interview. The discussion of the research and its implications are fascinating.
So have a listen and then tell me what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.
Save
by jphilo | Nov 25, 2009 | Books and Resources, Different Dream, PTSD
For the past few weeks, National Public Radio (NPR) has been airing a series called The Impact of War. While listening to several episodes that described the symptoms of PTSD in returning vets, the similarities to our son Allen’s PTSD symptoms (caused by early, repeated medical traumas from 1982 – 1986) were striking.
An Interview with General Eric Shinseki
In a November 13 interview with retired General Eric Shinseki, who is head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, he talked about an encounter with veterans during a recent speaking engagement. When he asked if any of them suffered from PTSD, no one said anything. So he asked the following questions:
- How many of you have a little trouble sleeping at night?
- Are you overly vigilant for threats in your own homes?
- Have you been having anger management problems?
Then, Shinseki said, “And then hands go up.”
The Sand Storm: Stories from the Front
In a November 14 episode, a clinical psychiatrist named Judith Broder describes her reaction to The Sand Storm: Stories from the Front, which was written by a Marine and featured monologues of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The most horrifying aspect of it was the sense that I got that these were really just ordinary everyday guys, and they had seen things and done things that just shattered their whole sense of themselves,” says Broder. “And that they would all need help.” Broder has since started a program to help veterans recover from PTSD.
PTSD in Medically Traumatized Children
What General Shinseki and Broder said described Allen before he was treated for PTSD. For years, our son displayed the symptoms Shinseki mentioned. And as Broder said, he needed help. Thankfully he found help last December at Intensive Trauma Therapy, Inc., an outpatient clinic in Morganstown, West Virginia.
But Allen isn’t the only person struggling with PTSD caused by medical trauma at a young age. If you have a child exhibiting the symptoms above, and you suspect they are related to some sort of trauma (which can include the death of a loved one, divorce, a difficult move, sexual abuse, physical abuse, medical trauma or adoption) go to their website to learn more. Your child doesn’t need to suffer any more. Life-changing treatment is available that doesn’t require drugs or hospitalization in most cases.
After treatment, Allen turned to me and said, “Mom, I have my life back.”
Those were the sweetest words he’d ever spoken. I hope that one day, your child who is suffering from PTSD will say the same words to you.
Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.
by jphilo | Oct 9, 2009 | Different Dream, Prevention/Treatment, PTSD
A few weeks ago Claire Shackelford interviewed me about A Different Dream for My Child. While we talked, I thought about the double whammy military wives with special needs children deal with every day. My only desire was to encourage the moms as they care for their kids.
But as Claire listened to our son’s story, she recognized a second link between my son’s story and the families of combat vets: post-traumatic stress disorder. Claire hopes that the interview, which you can hear at this link, will minister to struggling veterans, their spouses, and children.
Intensive Trauma Therapy, Inc.
If you suspect your special needs child or returning war vet has PTSD, I urge you to visit Intensive Trauma Therapy, Inc’s website and see what they have to offer. Read their literature. Check out their statistics. Call them and see if your loved one can take the diagnostic test and perhaps qualify for treatment.
Our son’s life was changed after a week of outpatient treatment. Maybe your vet’s life can be changed, too.
Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.
Save
Save
by jphilo | Sep 9, 2009 | Different Dream, In Parents, PTSD
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) doctors and nurses know that a stay in NICU can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in preemies. But a recent study shows that a NICU parents are at risk of developing PTSD, too.
NICU Babies and PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after someone sees or experiences a traumatic event involving the threat of injury or death. With that definition in mind, it’s not hard to understand why small children who have undergone serious medical treatment develop PTSD. This response in young children is well-documented. Most large hospitals have rained therapists, known as child life specialists, who help kids overcome and avoid PTSD.
NICU Parents and PTSD
But, according to Laurie Tarken’s recent article in the New York Times, parents of NICU preemies also are prone to developing PTSD. According to the article, “parents of NICU infants experience multiple traumas, beginning with the early delivery, which is often unexpected.”
The author of one study, Dr. Richard J. Shaw, an associate professor of child psychiatry at Stanford and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital says, “The second trauma is seeing their own infant having traumatic medical procedures and life-threatening events, and also witnessing other infants going through similar experiences.”
“And third, they often are given serial bad news,” he continued. “The bad news keeps coming. It’s different from a car accident or an assault or rape, where you get a single trauma and it’s over and you have to deal with it. With a preemie every time you see your baby the experience comes up again.”
What About You?
If you want to know more about PTSD in NICU parents, lick on this link, For Parents on NICU, Trauma May Last, to access the entire article. You have to register to become an online New York Times subscriber, but it’s free and the piece is well worth the read.
For me, the article explained a comment made by the therapist who recently treated our son’s PTSD, which was caused by early medical trauma. (Child life specialists weren’t readily available way back in 1982 when he was born and spent three weeks in NICU.) On the last day of Allen’s successful treatment, the kindly therapist looked at me and asked, “What about you, Mom?”
I didn’t understand why he asked the question at the time, but now I do. He realized that I had suffered trauma, too. His simple, caring question validated emotions I’d hidden for years. His words were healing balm to my soul.
Now I want to pass the balm on to you in case you need healing, too: Moms and Dads of NICU kids, what about you?
Do you like what you see in the Dream Team link up? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for both in the upper right column on this page.
Save
Save
