Lockdown, children and complex PTSD

Children cannot help themselves

PTSD

Let's begin here. This can come to anyone, usually as a result of a single traumatic event. It brings symptoms which many are familiar with.

Complex PTSD

Comes as a result of repeated or prolonged exposure to trauma. This can affect anyone but mostly affects children because they are the most easily victimised by circumstances.

One kind of trauma

That can bring complex PTSD to children is neglect, rejection, isolation. Not seeing all of their school-friends feels like rejection. Being told to be quiet or play in another room while Mum or Dad is on a conference call to work or trying to work feels like neglect and rejection. All of this is isolating.

Lockdown

Brings these feelings and more, repeatedly over a long period of time.

When sustained trauma

Is present, sustained production of cortisol will occur in the brain. Cortisol is a reaction to stress and has a lot of bad effects if it its continually produced. Continual exposure to cortisol over a period of time physically damages many parts of the brain - temporarily as well as permanently:

• The prefrontal cortex has among its many responsibilities, the awareness of and regulation of the intensity of emotional reaction and also the ability to reason and use logic. If the prefrontal cortex is damaged temporarily or permanently, there will be a lessening of or a disappearance of self control; emotional outbursts will be out of proportion and unstoppable.
• The cerebral cortex performs among many jobs, the capability to feel empathy towards others. A reduction in thickness of the cerebral cortex due to excess cortisol exposure over a period of time happens in the area responsible for feeling empathy, reducing that capacity
• The hippocampus is where all memories are sent to initially, some are kept here, longer-term memories are passed on to the cerebral cortex, others go elsewhere. The hippocampus records absolute memories - everything is remembered from the event in question. Damage by excess cortisol over a prolonged period of time will reduce the ability of the hippocampus to deal with memories and they will be passed straight to the amygdala.
• The amygdala is the brain’s processor for fear, threat, danger and so on. It only stores the emotional content of frightening memories and the emergency reaction to the event. It does not store absolute memories; there is no facility for language in the amygdala, just emotional reaction and recovered memories only hold the emotional reaction as it was at the time of the event.
• Broca’s area is responsible for language and speech and excess cortisol will shut it down, leaving any memories stored anywhere at this time somewhat like memories from the amygdala. The shut-down of Broca’s area is responsible for the classic PTSD symptom of not being able to speak about what happened - there were no words or descriptions made at the time the memory was stored. The sufferer can re-run what happened, re-run how they felt and will feel and appear mad when they cannot speak about what happened.

Now you can imagine what happens when a current event triggers a memory from a time of persistent trauma.

Typical responses

To triggering events will be a disproportionate emotional reaction, inability to control these outbursts, not caring who is affected by them and needing a very long time to calm down afterwards. The sufferer will feel embarrassment and shame when they are calm. It’s not good for them or anybody near them.

A "can't be bothered" attitude

Is a symptom of depression - common of all PTSD cases. This is also a symptom of a child who has been neglected, ignored, rejected and isolated for a continuous period of time and can, therefore, be an early warning sign of coming complex PTSD.

Coronavirus lockdown

Has brought all of this to us and our children; it is not our fault. We are all victims. Children cannot help themselves. They need somebody to do that for them.

What can be done?

An award was given to me for a process I developed for helping young people. It happens to also work with PTSD. The young person does not have to speak about or identify any events that have upset them. They think about them in their mind - in complete privacy. This gets around possible problems with of memories with no language content and also possible embarrassment in front of the obligatory guardian who will probably be a parent.

What happens if nothing is done?

None of the symptoms will go away and most will become more pronounced and intrusive. By adulthood, the inability to find or hold down a job or a partner will be a problem. One common symptom is self-medication with illegal drugs or with alcohol. Either will cause obvious problems for health and for finances. Because of a lack of caring for others, criminal activity is likely to occur to fund this. Remember the prefrontal cortex? Another of its jobs is to give us the ability to learn from risk and consequences. Punishment for criminal activity will only ever be a passing nuisance, it will never be a deterrent.

Contact me and ask about help.