Post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorderA 1996 report from the Child Accident Prevention Trust 1 reminds us that "Every year in the UK about 700 children die, 120 000 are admitted to hospital, and over 200 000 attend accident avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma; and a range of signs of increased physiological arousal. 5oday, PTSD has become so widely discussed that trauma counsellors and specialists are expected to arrive in droves whenever major, and often minor, disasters occur.To some, it may seem that the disorder is potentially so commonplace as to have lost all credibility. 6I believe that PTSD is susceptible to clear diagnosis, that it is real, that it is distressing and disabling, that it can be long lasting, and that it can be treated.Moreover, paediatricians are very likely to encounter it among children who present following accidents, particularly road traYc accidents, and so they should consider ways to ameliorate the predictable emotional consequences of acts that bring children to A&E departments.