Post traumatic stress disorder ptsd is a common psychiatric condition in childhood and adolescence rates vary widely depending upon the type of trauma exposure interpersonal traumas such as rape or physical abuse are more likely to result in ptsd than exposure to natural or technological disaster clinical presentations are exceedingly complex and children with ptsd are at increased risk of having comorbid psychiatric diagnoses because of its complexity and frequent occurrence with . Post traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents from sigmund freuds trauma to psychopathology and the dysmetabolic syndrome pervanidou p 1 chrousos gp post traumatic stress disorder ptsd is an anxiety syndrome that develops after exposure to traumatic life events. American academy of child and adolescent psychiatry practice parameters for the assessment and treatment of post traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents judith a cohen principal author j am acad child adolesc psychiatry 1998 37 10 suppl 4s 26s google scholar 2 shannon mp lonigan cj finch aj taylor cm children exposed to disaster i epidemiology of post traumatic . Post traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd develops as the result of experiencing a trauma exposure to a traumatic event eg abuse death of a loved one witnessing a crime or accident does not necessarily lead to ptsd though children and adolescents may still experience some ptsd symptoms