[leomama]

Anybody diagnosed with PTSD while raising a teen?

[Open Eyes]

It must be a challenge for both of you. Teens struggle with understanding to begin with, so for them to understand PTSD is even harder because most teens don't have the maturity level yet.

[leomama]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

It must be a challenge for both of you. Teens struggle with understanding to begin with, so for them to understand PTSD is even harder because most teens don't have the maturity level yet.

Oh I don't expect my teen to understand PTSD, that's not why I was posting. I was wondering if anybody else had to struggle with PTSD symptoms while helping a teen navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence. For me my daughter is now at the age I was at when I started having mental health problems, although I had started having substance abuse problems before that. .

[tryingtoheal31]

One thing my therapist recommended was when I am in a flashback, or feel one coming on, to be honest with my children about it. If it is one I can work through to not hide it from them and to explain that even parents have difficulties dealing with their emotions. I'm not quite there yet, as I can not distinguish the past from the present when they are happening, but am hopeful I will get there soon. I felt so guilty when my son triggered a flashback from an abusive relationship. He is only ten years old and had no idea what was going on. Thankfully we are all working with the same therapist and he was able to explain it better to him. He told him it was like I was in a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from and that instead of seeing him (my son) I saw my abuser. We are working on boundaries to prevent this from happening again and so far that has helped a lot!

[leomama]

Originally Posted by tryingtoheal31

One thing my therapist recommended was when I am in a flashback, or feel one coming on, to be honest with my children about it. If it is one I can work through to not hide it from them and to explain that even parents have difficulties dealing with their emotions. I'm not quite there yet, as I can not distinguish the past from the present when they are happening, but am hopeful I will get there soon. I felt so guilty when my son triggered a flashback from an abusive relationship. He is only ten years old and had no idea what was going on. Thankfully we are all working with the same therapist and he was able to explain it better to him. He told him it was like I was in a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from and that instead of seeing him (my son) I saw my abuser. We are working on boundaries to prevent this from happening again and so far that has helped a lot!

That sounds helpful, thank you for sharing.