Trauma can hit at any age, but it's often especially tough for teenagers. If you're not sure whether a teen you care about is experiencing trauma, you should learn about the potential signs. You may want to explore trauma treatment for teens if someone you care about exhibits a couple of the following issues.
Social Withdrawal
Notably, a lot of the signs someone needs to find a trauma treatment program for teens sounds like things that people that age stereotypically do. Social withdrawal falls in this category. However, a highly sociable teen shouldn't suddenly stop. Likewise, don't assume a teenager who wasn't sociable to start with hasn't experienced trauma.
Social withdrawal is usually most marked by teens ceasing regular contact even with close friends and family members. Even most kids labeled weird have a couple of friends, and withdrawing from them is a big deal.
Declining Hygiene
Yes, this is another teenage stereotype. However, every teen sets some sort of standard for their tolerable level of hygiene, even if it's not the one you'd prefer.
If a teen who used to shower twice a week is skipping showers entirely for weeks, they may need help. Think about the baseline before the behavior changed and that will give you a good idea of whether they might need a trauma treatment program for teenagers.
Changing Sleep Habits
Teenagers have terrible sleep habits. Even the ones with bad sleep habits, though, tend to maintain them.
Notably, the changes can go in all sorts of directions. A teen who used to stay up all night might suddenly go to bed early and sleep a lot. Similarly, a teen who used to get to bed early may develop insomnia. The change is what signals that you may need to check out trauma treatment for teenagers.
Interests Disappear
Every teenager has interests, even if they don't seem like interests to you. Whether it is video gaming, dancing, social media, schoolwork, or something else, they should care about something. If a teen used to be working on fixing up a car and suddenly stops caring about the project, that's a source of potential concern. The same applies to grades, community involvement, preparing for college, or working a job.
Although they might hang up on something for a bit due to discouragement, teens tend to return to their interests or find new ones within a few weeks. A long stretch with zero interest in anything is bad. For more information on when to seek trauma treatment for teenagers, contact a professional near you.
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