DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA DISORDER
Trauma and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
After a traumatic experience, it’s normal to feel frightened, sad, anxious, and disconnected. Usually, with time, the upset fades and you start to enjoy life again. But sometimes the trauma is so overwhelming that you find that you can’t move on. You feel stuck with a constant sense of danger and painful memories that don’t fade.
If you went through a traumatic experience and are having trouble getting back to your regular life, reconnecting to others, and feeling safe again, you may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With PTSD, it can seem like you’ll never get over what happened or feel normal again. Seeking treatment, reaching out for support, developing new coping skills, can help you overcome the symptoms of PTSD and move on with your life. Research has indicated therapies that integrate the mind-body connection are the most effective at supporting lasting change.
Developmental Trauma Disorder is a recently proposed identification developed by researchers who have studied long-term effects of neglect and abuse on children. The PTSD evaluation criteria was primarily developed as a result of seeking more effective treatment of war and combat veterans. This is an adult population. Seeking greater understanding for how children and infants respond and cope with traumatic events has lead to the proposed new diagnostic criteria of Development Trauma Disorder. This research indicates long-term neglect such as malnutrition, insufficient shelter, disrupted family relationships, inattentive or inconsistent care contribute to a traumatic effect. To learn more about Developmental Trauma Disorder visit www.traumacenter.org and click on the research articles on this topic or visit www.sanctuaryweb.com
The Future: A proposal for a new diagnosis
Developmental Trauma Disorder:
A New Diagnosis for Children
Affected by Complex Trauma.
Stolbach, B. (2007),
International Society for the Study
of Trauma and Dissociation News,
25(6), pp. 4-6
Visit www.traumacenter.org for more details
