C PTSD

[ContactNightmare]

I wanted to reach out to any posters with practical experience of managing CPTSD in children.

My DD has experienced some serious trauma and shows a lot of the symptoms. She is receiving support from CAMHS. She is 13 and is considering whether she wants a formal diagnosis.

It maybe that this is good for her as she will be able to access treatment for CPTSD; but also there may be downsides such as a label at an early age.

If anyone has experience of pursuing a diagnosis or managing PTSD or trauma for a child I would be so grateful to hear from you.

Hello

I am so sorry to hear your daughter is experiencing CPTSD symptoms. I am therapist, but work with adults only. If your daughter is receiving CAMHS input what are they offering? I would assume they have assessed and are providing some sort of intervention? CPTSD is a mental health condition where people re-experience trauma again and again as if they were reliving it in the 'moment'. It can impact self-esteem, elicit physical symptoms and impact our functioning. CPTSD is usually a result of sustained trauma over a long period of time related to multiple events. I would advise reaching out to the local CAMHS team if you suspect she has CPTSD so that she may access early intervention.

Yes we are receiving support for her symptoms. Happy with this but we do not have a diagnosis. They say she has been traumatised and has seen a psychologist. However, I have some challenges because my ex husband wants access (he is the source of trauma) and it’s been suggested that an official diagnosis might assist her as she does not want contact. So conflicted

I think a trauma related diagnosis can be different from others, in that there is a cause and also treatment, so doesn't mean it's lifelong. However, some institutions such as insurance etc might ask 'have you ever been diagnosed with a mental health condition?' Which might impact her future.
Services can be reluctant to diagnose children, but still work with the symptoms. If your daughter is receiving help from CAMHS then that can be used as evidence of the impact on your daughter. They are saying she has been traumatised- that should be enough without a formal diagnosis, but try to get something in writing from the psychologist as evidence. Hope your DD gets the help she deserves

Thank you. It is very hard to manage. She has no idea about any of these court applications and it could make her worse.

CAMHS are often poor at giving formal diagnoses. They use woolly terms like 'has experienced' or 'traits of' or 'developing signs of' or 'is experiencing'.

Its very frustrating when other services or interventions want a firm and clear diagnosis. Perhaps CAMHS might say its a red herring to want this sort of clarity and isnt necessary.