Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Health Center

To be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have all of the following for at least 1 month:

• at least one re-experiencing symptom
• at least three avoidance symptoms
• at least two hyperarousal symptoms
• symptoms that make it hard to go about daily life, go to school or work, be with friends, and take care of important tasks.

Children and teens can have extreme reactions to trauma, but their symptoms may not be the same as adults. In very young children, these symptoms can include:

• bedwetting, when they'd learned how to use the toilet before
• forgetting how or being unable to talk
• acting out the scary event during playtime
• being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult

Older children and teens usually show symptoms more like those seen in adults. They may also develop disruptive, disrespectful, or destructive behaviors. Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing injury or deaths. They may also have thoughts of revenge.