P.T.S.D in a 4yr old?

[maeanna]

Hi I was wondering if anyone could help me I have a 4yr old niece who is showing signs of PTSD after 2 car accidents and a domestic violence incident all involving her father. The health visitor has witnessed her having a panic attack in the car but says children will forget this but shes showing signs of panic attacks and anxiety and as i suffer Emetophobia I do not want my niece to go through anxiety or have panic attacks.
Is there anything to help children under 5 as the domestic violence support team can only help her once shes 5 or over and then theres a long wait.
I read up on it and apparantly if kids get help early they can get over it and i really want to help her. Its so sad there seems to be so little to help younger children psychologically.

[jill]

Hi hun

It is true that a childs mind can mend over time, using reasurance and exposure, children are very good at doing this with help and support from there family, BUT, if you have concerns which I see you do, please go and have a chat to the gp, there is a team called CAMS team, here is the link..

http://www.heartofengland.nhs.uk/tem...e____5687.aspx

I do think you have to have a refaral to this team, ( from the gp ) but there IS help out there, or they CAN give the parents help and advice on how to handle the situation.

I do hope this has been of some help hun you niece will recover from this hun, in time.

please let me know how things go.

YOU TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXX

[joannap]

hi - i don't want to worry you but this could turn into a lifelong predisposition to anxiety. incidents that i suffered as a child - my mum firmly believes that this kick started my anxiety and i was only 2! the thing is - another child with a different personality/genetic make up etc would not be as affected and could bounce back more easily so it depends on lots of different factors. the positive thing is is that this kind of thing is recognised in children now - when i was younger i suffered in silence - even my parents just used to dismiss me as just nervy because this sort of thing was not aknowledged/talked about so i am sure your niece can get the help she needs - i hope her father feels disgusted with himself (sorry to judge but this could affect her relationship with men in the future).

[maeanna]

Hiya, Thanks for ur advice! I have asked my sister to make a gp apt to get my niece referred to the CAMS team in our area. It upsets me that health professionals like health visitors and Gps do not recognise this in children tho and take it seriously as ive had Emetphobia since i was 4/5 yr old and as joannap says i too was dismissed as shy and nervy and even now my parents refuse to discuss my anxiety and phobia.My parents went mad when i said my niece needed professional help but i believe it will be best for her and want her to have a normal fun childhood unlike me. Unfortunately her father can NOT see what he has done. He is a waste of space!

[Thumbelina]

i think that you should tak as much as possible to your niece when you get a chance - you should not let her keep inside what she feels about past events.
Maybe you can become a better counselor for her.

Or at least you can get her trust to the extend that she should come and tell you anytime about anything that bothers her.

She needs to feel completely safe somehow and somewhere to open and you can create that zone for her probably.

[jill]

Hi Maeanna

I do know and totally understand your frustration over lack of professionals understanding of how this can effect a child.

I myself have dealt with the cams team, my daughter suffered pa.s, high anxiety at just age 3 years old. The trigger seemed to be, joining nursery, BUT, we as a family and the professionals never new what was going on, her panic came in a way which was hard for them to diagnose, it took them 3 years, test after tests, (long story, will not go into that) we did however as a family help her get better, with no help from the professionals, BUT, a few years ago it returned ( at age Mmm U I think it was age 13.

She did not want to go to school, I took her to the gp and ask for a referral to the cams team. Her assessment went well, but a few days later I got a letter saying that they would not take my daughter case on WHY???? because she was NOT what they call, tear 3, tear 3 means that the anxiety, panic has to be across the board in all walks of her life.

Blimey, I was shocked, I got on the phone and spoke to one of the team, I explained her background and told them, she was tear 3 at age 3, does she have to get that bad again to get the help she needs, they agreed to see her, BUT again, we as a family had helped her move on even before she got to see them. We, as a family seen the team and they were shocked how quick she was recovering, by daughters decision, was to stop seeing them, we as a family had to go with her wishes. BUT my mind was saying other things, again she went back to near normal life. NO PANIC.

A few years later the panic returned, age 15, 1 week into her last year of school, my heart broke, this time around it went across the board, she did not even want to go over the front door. It even took me awhile before she even agreed to see one of the cams team, one of the team agreed to come out to the house, BUT again by this time, I had been putting things in place, doing slow exposure therapy, using all my knowledge that I had learned from this great site.

YOU ARE SOOO right when you say, if kids get the help they need in early stages recovery will come, I do believe from what I have read and someone has replied with the same thing, genetics play a big part in this, I have 2 kids, my other child IS NOT effected by panic, anxiety at all. I seen a programme on telly along time ago, the man doing it was a professional and he said that kids can be born this way, BUT, if they get the help early on it helps them recover more qickly.

I feel sadend at times that my daughter was not diognosed early, but for us there is NOTHING we can do about that now, whats more important now, is helping my daughter understand that SHE CAN with time and the right support, STOP the panic and bring her anxiety down to a more managable level. We have just come back from Florida, she did hit full blown panic just before baording the plane, BUT she still got on it, had a few hiccups on the holiday BUT, we ALL had a great holiday. I am sooo proud of her words fail me, she IS a strong and brave young lady. She got what she wanted on holiday, a soaking by the killer whale in sea world LOL

So hunny, go with you gut, there is no harm AT ALL in talking to the cams team, getting of professionals oppinion is a good thing.

please let us know how things go hun. your doing all you can.

YOU TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXX

[maeanna]

Hiya
Just a quick update! finally ive convinced the H.Visitor to refer my to my niece to CAMS and shes written a report and is going to send it to them so fingers crossed! Jill its so lovely that u have tried to get help for ur daughter and im so pleased she managed to go on the family holiday and enjoyed it! Well done and you are obv a really good understanding mum.
My niece never wants to go anywhere but when we actually make her she has a good time and im determined shes not going to turn out like me and become avoident of things she doesnt want to do! Thanks so much for your messages of support! )

[jill]

Hi Maeanna

Thank you for the update, its good to hear H visitor has written to CAMS.

You are doing all you can hun. Its good the hear your encouraging her to go places. I know she is only young but does she say why she does not want to go, encourage her to talk about how she feels.

With YOU hun the determent auntie, she is going to be just fine

You take care

LOVE JILL XX

[maeanna]

Thanks! Ive just persuaded her to go to Tesco with her mum by writing her a shopping list and giving her £1 to buy herself something with in the hope of distracting her once her mums bought the shopping coz when shes in the store as normally she has a panic attack half way round! fingers crossed! im just worried for her when she starts school in 2 weeks but im going to be taking her and fetching her twice at the beginning of the week so hopefully she'l be okay by the wednesday as my sister does not really know what to do when my niece gets anxious other than to remove her from the situation which i know is not best for her and she has to go to school! Oh well i guess time will tell but hopefully CAMS will help when she eventually gets seen!!!! )

[jill]

Hi hun

Ohhhh hunny, you did not say your niece was having pa's in other places too, I thought is was when she got in a car ohhhh my heart goes out to her and all around her

I can see that you are doing the right thing and helping her distract herself. Hun, if you feel that she needs the support before school please contact the cams team BEFORE school, they may rush the appointment up. As you know hun, if we want support we have to go get it ourselves, is does not come quick enough sometimes.

No, it is not right removing her from the situation, BUT, if you don't reasure the child and calm her down and she still feels panicy or anxiety in that situations and keep putting her in the situation it becomes FACT, for the child, (even an adult) that this is the place it happens, Mmm, do you know what I mean?

Hun, I don't know how bad your niece is, but if you strongly feel she may have issues regarding school please contact the team for advice. You can chat to one of the team on the phon.

Thank you for keeping us informed, my heart goes out to you all.

Always remember hunny, you are doing all you can to help, I bet your her favorite auntie. Remember too hunny, she could go into school and LOVE IT, with NO issues at all, this can happen. Try keep positive,

LOVE JILL XXX