How do you treat PTSD in adults? How do you treat in children?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Student’s Name
Institution

How Do You Treat PTSD in Adults?
A range of psychological treatments is currently being used for the treatment of PSTD victims. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) describes the relationships between emotions, thoughts, and behaviors (Javidi& Yadollahie, 2011). It seeks to draw out and explain how beliefs, emotions, and behaviors can be changed and the process of their acquisition. For those diagnosed with PSTD, CBT techniques aim at changing the distressing emotions through a change in beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors. As such, there is exposure to the factors causing trauma such as memories in a bid to confront the causative agent. This helps reduce the emotional intensity. Also, the treatment is inclusive of programs teaching on stress management skills. Coping with stress is beneficial in building up the ability of an individual to manage anxiety and as such, eventual management of PSTD (Javidi& Yadollahie, 2011). In addition, supportive therapy is an essential mechanism for the treatment as the diagnosed adult can eventually focus on their inner traits thus clearly having a deeper self-understanding. This is essential in finding personal strengths for coping efficiently. As it is, the treatment is mainly in two forms. One aspect deals with a focus on the trauma while the other form is towards stress management (Javidi& Yadollahie, 2011).
How Is It Treated in Children?
Children who have been exposed to life-threatening situations have been found out to display signs of post-traumatic stress disorder almost immediately (Javidi& Yadollahie, 2011).

In their treatment, clinicians should ensure that there is a careful assessment to prevent dependence on assumptions that a child has only stress-related disorders due to the presence of negative affectivity symptoms. Also, they should seek to differentiate children according to the levels of severity (Javidi& Yadollahie, 2011). Children showing signs of significant impairments ought to be accorded evidence-supported treatment and as such, an alternative and appropriate diagnosis, like adjustment disorder, should be used in case the child fails to meet the PSDT diagnostic criteria effectively. For those children not able to face their trauma directly, play therapy is essential. This is because the games involved will enable them to process traumatic memories (Javidi& Yadollahie, 2011). Again, psychological first aid is vital for the school-aged children in a bid to offer support and comfort making it clear to them that their reactions to the causative factor are normal. This would eventually instill calmness in them thus making steps towards dealing with the trauma.
Reference
Javidi, H., & Yadollahie, M. (2011). Post-traumatic stress disorder. The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 3(1 January).