How Childhood Trauma and Personality Disorders Affect Adolescents
1 in 7 10-19 year olds struggle with a mental health disorder. Unfortunately, many teens struggle in silence with their mental health issues, which can be detrimental to their health and quality of life. Childhood trauma and personality disorders are some of the more prevalent mental health issues that affect teens. Left untreated, childhood trauma can manifest into other mental disorders like anxiety or depression later on in life, while personality disorders can make it difficult for a teen to create healthy, meaningful relationships with others. Keep reading to learn more about what childhood trauma and personality disorders are, and why seeking professional treatment is so important.
At CTRLCare, we are a mental health treatment center in New Jersey that helps teens and young adults struggling with mental illness and problematic technology use. We understand how harmful untreated mental health disorders can be on a teen’s overall health and well-being. That’s why we offer a range of treatment programs for patients to receive tailored care to best heal on their recovery journey.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you on your road to recovery.
How Childhood Trauma Affects Teens?
A majority of children experience at least 1 traumatic event by age 16, whether they realize it or not. Childhood trauma is more than just remembering a bad day or memory. Childhood trauma represents an experience or series of experiences where the child experienced or witnessed some sort of traumatic stress. Trauma can range widely from a singular event to a series of experiences across days, weeks, and even years at a time.
Some common examples of childhood trauma include:
- Physical or sexual assault
- School violence
- A major accident or life-threatening injury (i.e. car accident)
- National disaster
- War experiences
- Sudden loss of a loved one
- And more
As you can see, there are a number of ways children may be exposed to a traumatic event that can stay within them and negatively alter their behavior for years to come. Childhood trauma carried into the teen years can show itself in a number of ways. For example, childhood trauma and compulsive lying, acting out, and engaging in riskier behavior to cope with their trauma (i.e. abusing drugs or alcohol) are all common.
How Personality Disorders Impact Teens?
Personality disorders are mental health conditions where an individual thinks, feels, or behaves differently than others. This can lead to experiencing more heightened emotions or struggling to form meaningful and long-term relationships with others because of their personality deviating much more differently than others. There are a number of different types of personality disorders, which include:
- Borderline personality disorder
- Narcissistic personality disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
- Paranoid personality disorder
- And more
Depending on the exact type of personality disorder a teen has will determine the specific types of signs and symptoms they may show. As briefly discussed, personality disorders can negatively impact a teen’s ability to form long-term, meaningful relationships with others because their personality can differ significantly from others’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Therefore, a teen not only may feel isolated and alone, but they may struggle to understand why their personality is so different from others and feel they are missing a sense of belonging in their life.
Why Seeking Treatment For Childhood Trauma and Personality Disorders Is Important?
As you can see, adolescents impacted by childhood trauma and personality disorders, left untreated, can significantly suffer. Not only are their physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being at risk, but they likely struggle in social relationships and forming meaningful connections with friends and family members. That’s why if you or someone you know is struggling with untreated trauma or a personality disorder, it’s critical that they seek professional mental health treatment to safely and effectively address their condition(s). Whether you are struggling with one disorder or a co-occurring illness, it’s essential you seek the right care so you can better manage your symptoms and take back your life.
Top-Rated Mental Health Center in New Jersey
You should never feel afraid to ask for help. CTRLCare is a leading mental health treatment center in New Jersey that provides a number of treatment options to help teens and young adults better manage their mental illness symptoms and regain control over their lives. No more suffering in silence with your condition. We’re here to help you every step of the way to lead a happier, healthier quality of life.
Ready to start your recovery journey? Contact us today.
