It is not uncommon, however, for young individuals with PTSD to exhibit the same signs as an adult with PTSD. Because young individuals may show the same symptoms as adults, it makes it easier to identify the youths with PTSD. PTSD appears to be a fairly common diagnosis among adolescents seeking treatment. A study about children being treated at a live in hospital found that 42% of the overall children (47.4% of females, 34.2% of males) met diagnostic criteria for PTSD.Underlying Factors There are a number of factors that go into PTSD. No two cases are ever the same because no two people are exactly the same. War, sexual assault, vehicular accident, etc. can be the root of PTSD. Individuals can experience re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms and hyperarousal symptoms that can be caused not only by the traumatic event, but also some underlying factors within the body.Stathmin is a protein that helps develop memories in response to fear. If there was alreadysomething wrong with an individual’s stathmin levels, it could be evidence of a genetic cause of PTSD. A study published by PLoS One involved using two groups of mice in order to explain how the presence/absence of Stathmin and Gastrin releasing peptide can affect the likelihood …show more content…
The same study done by PLoS One, found that GRP helped control fear reaction in the mice and helped reduce the amount of Stathmin. If the GRP levels are abnormally low in an individual, they may not be able to reduce the Stathmin that would be released during the time of the trauma which would cause the individual to not understand how to respond in that situation causing panic and fear.FamilyIndividuals with PTSD are not the only people affected by PTSD, their close family and friends are affected as well. Many families have to accommodate their family member with PTSD in order for them to cope with everyday life. Living with someone who has PTSD can takean emotional and mental tool on the family. An individual’s family can have multiple reactions that vary based on what they feel would be the most comforting to the individual. Typical reactions include sympathy, negative feelings, avoidance and depression.Sympathy is a feeling that is tried first when family members interact the individual with PTSD. The family will try and sympathize with the individual with PTSD in order to try and normalize the family again. The family may also sympathize because they truly feel sorry about the individual going through that trauma.