Winning the War on PTSD:
Recognizing PTSD
in Our Children
by Dr. Jamie Turndorf
According to the National Center for PTSD, about 15% to 43% of girls and 14% to 43% of boys experience at least one trauma in childhood.
Official statistics show that among children and teens who have experienced a trauma, 3% to 15% of girls and 1% to 6% of boys develop PTSD.
I argue that the incidence of PTSD among children and teens is much higher than we think.
Why do I say this?
Because:
Trauma depletes cellular magnesium levels. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/). (To be clear, only one traumatic event is sufficient to deplete magnesium levels.)
Magnesium depletion triggers HPA-Axis dysfunction (The HPA-Axis refers to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is the primary neuro-biochemical stress response network that involves both the central nervous and endocrine systems.)
Research proves that HPA-Axis dysfunction causes PTSD. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6024559/pdf/nutrients-10-00730.pdf)
Because we know that a single trauma is sufficient to set off the chemical cascade that results in PTSD, and because we know that almost 50% of all children and teens have experienced a trauma, it is, therefore, realistic to argue that nearly half of all boys and girls likely suffer some degree of PTSD.
What Events Cause PTSD in Children?
According to the National Center for PTSD, there are approximately three-million child protection services annual reports involving 5.5 million children just in the US.
Of the reported cases, there is proof of abuse in about 30%. Of the reported cases of abuse, 65% are attributed to neglect, 18% to physical abuse, 10% to sexual abuse, and 7% psychological (mental) abuse.
When we think of PTSD in children or teens, we think of mass shootings, like the Parkland Florida shooting. Clearly, children who have suffered these kinds of traumas suffer extreme PTSD.
Keep in mind that reactions to trauma differ from child-to-child. For example, if a child has a pre-existing mental health issue, takes pharmaceutical drugs, consumes a poor diet containing fast-foods, packaged foods, refined sugars and sodas, high fructose corn sweetener and unhealthy fats, that child will be nutritionally deficient in magnesium. In such cases, a small trauma can have catastrophic effects by flushing out the little magnesium that is available, thereby triggering PTSD.