An article published in the latest issue of the American Psychological Association's Monitor on Psychology reports on a new diagnosis being proposed for inclusion into the 2011 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-V.
"Developmental trauma disorder," or DTD, is the name being used to describe the symptoms of children who are exposed to complex trauma -- repeated or prolonged instances of interpersonal trauma ranging from physical or sexual abuse or neglect to community violence. Gathering data on survivors of childhood trauma, proponents argue that these instances cause unique neurobiological changes in children which affect later abilities to process information and regulate emotions and behavior. Affected individuals may display a wide-ranging variety of symptoms, from antisocial or oppositional behavior to later problems with depression, promiscuity, or motivation.
While several diagnoses in the DSM-IV including oppositional defiant disorder, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) address some of these symptoms, researchers say they don't adequately account for the unique affects of ongoing trauma on still-developing brains.
"While PTSD is a good definition for acute trauma in adults, it doesn't apply well to children, who are often traumatized in the context of relationships," says Boston University Medical Center psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, MD. "Because children's brains are still developing, trauma has a much more pervasive and long-range influence on their self-concept, on their sense of the world and on their ability to regulate themselves."
Researchers are currently working to build the case for the disorder in hopes that its inclusion will lead to better therapies to treat the millions of children who are abused or exposed to trauma every year.
Read more: A new diagnosis for childhood trauma?
Link: Developmental Trauma Disorder: A new, rational diagnosis for children with complex trauma histories (PDF)
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