by: Dan Edmunds
"Whereas I find the various disorders in the DSM IV to be highly
subjective, they are mainly a listing of certain behavioral traits
manifested by certain individuals. It is my proposition that behind all
of these behavioral traits lies traumatic experience, and that based on age of the time of trauma, the nature of the trauma, and environmental factors will have a role in what reaction occurs and what behaviors are displayed.
"Trauma which occurs that is less intense and can be more readily
resolved would fall into the classification of what is labeled,
"Adjustment Disorders". Lochner, et. al (2002) in the study, "Childhood
trauma and obsessive compulsive disorders' found a significant higher
level of childhood trauma, particularly emotional neglect in adults who
later manifested obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD). In OCD, the trauma occurs in childhood and the environment is
one that is chaotic, and the child begins to feel the need to have a
semblance of control. It is through the obsessive-compulsive rituals
that the child then begins to feel that they are able to take control
over some aspect of their lives. Anxiety and panic concerns can also be seen to be trauma related. Exposure to a fear
invoking event or 'flashbacks' to a traumatic event through a new
precipitating trigger can evoke the panic response. Being that the
various psychological 'disorders' are connected to trauma, it is logical
that this is the factor that must be addressed and the use of
psychotropic drugs
in 'treatment' would only be subduing behaviors and numbing the impact
of the trauma without truly ever addressing the core issue which has led
to the psychological distress. Therefore, it is important that
clinician's begin to truly examine the experience of children and
adolescents and begin to understand the role and impact of traumatic
experience in their lives. It is necessary for the adults in the life of
the child to begin to address the factors in the environment which may
perpetuate distress and to aid the child in development of adaptive
coping responses and the ability to resolve the inner conflicts arising
from the traumatic experiences.
A society can be judged by how it
treats its children, even those most troubled and disturbed. Many choose
to 'throw away' those children who are deemed delinquent. But how did
they become that way? It is not just their choices but it is also the
failure of adults in their lives to truly reach out and guide these
children. Court systems, Child Protective services, and our educational
systems fail these children time and time again. They are shuffled off
to placements and through psychiatric
ceremonials only to become more bitter, more hardened, more distressed,
and more disturbed. We should be investing our time to teach new
skills, to change the frame of reference, to show compassion and wisdom.
We must have patience and journey with these children, to know that
someone truly cares and that their pains and hurts need not be
self-destructive. But the issue remains greed. It is profitable to keep
the status quo, the psychiatric establishment profits and so do others.
No one wants to take the time to bother with these children, few are
interested in social justice, and few want to give the things that would
truly rehabilitate."
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/extreme-states-mind/201306/the-impact-trauma-emotional-well-being
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