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Whatever you are going through, your kids inadvertently will go through it too. If you suffer from untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there could be some effects on children from your words and in your actions. Even though you would never want to harm your kids, some of your symptoms could unintentionally impact them.

Depression

No matter how much you try, your depression can shape your children’s internal and external experiences. You may find yourself interacting with your kids with less emotion and less connectivity. Being in a depressive state could also make you display inappropriate parenting behaviors such as neglect and not taking parental responsibilities seriously. 

Anxiety

What a child can take from your anxiety is a sense of insecurity and not feeling safe in their environment. If you are stressed out, those emotions can be transferred to them and cause them to become anxious themselves. Your fear can push your kids to go through ambiguous circumstances without having strategies to work through them.

Flashbacks

You may believe that your traumatic memories will not affect your kids, especially if you explain why you have them. Seeing you in a manic state of panic could instill fear in them to worry about you, but could also create guilt that they have done something to cause your PTSD. 

Hyper-vigilance

As your child makes a mistake, your startling outbursts could cause them to become fearful of your reactions. With unexpected blowups for accidents and mishaps, your hyper-vigilance could cause your kids to have to walk on eggshells around you. They may also begin hiding things from you or start lying to prevent getting into trouble.

Addiction

Your addiction to drugs and alcohol can harm your kids because of the negative consequences that can occur. Not only will children be afraid of you while you are under the influence, but they might also believe they are the reason you feel the need to escape through substance use. They could also easily follow in your footsteps and become addicted to drugs and alcohol due to learned behavior and hereditary predisposition for addiction. 

If you struggle with any of these symptoms that are related to trauma, your children may be struggling to cope with your behaviors and responses. Your child’s behavior may be disheartening at times and can seem rather challenging. If they are showing signs of internalization, withdrawal, aggressive behavior, disrespect for authority, attention deficit, or problems holding relationships with friends, you should not getting some help. You should receive support for yourself first so that you can then give them the appropriate help that they need. 

An integrated therapy modality may be an option for everyone to gain the specific treatment that each family member needs. Looking at everyone individually while trying to continue bonding as a family can help treat everyone’s mind, body, and spirit. The point is to heal together as a family so you can continue to grow together for everyone involved. 

 

At The Guest House Ocala, we offer residential treatment programs specialized for the care of traumas, addictions, and related mental health issues. Call us today at (855) 483-7800 for information on our trauma treatment programs and our concierge-style customization for every guest.