I am a clinical social worker treating a 6 yr old child who was physically and emotionally abused by a parent. the child has been in treatment for one year but new symptoms seem to emerge when her abusive parent s name is mentioned. Symptoms include: fearfulness, lack of trust of environment, initially bedwetting ( not currently) and most recently, pulling on her own hair and cuticles of her fingers. Older ( 9 yr old) sister is diagnosed with PTSD. No sexual abuse. I do not know if this is anxiety or some other stress disorder I am treating . There is some indication of panic and expression of grief ( crying and fear of situations) Any thoughts as to appropriate diagnosis to guide treatment planning? ( I am working in a relational style using elements of play therapy ( puppets, drawing ) and narrative.
DearWelcome to ChatDoctorWe understand your concerns went through your details. You are doing well. From the given description it seems to be PTSD. Will need psychiatric intervention. Relationship therapies and Play therapy are good options. Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Rational Emotive Therapy and exposure therapy should work in child Chat Doctor.  Go ahead with an advice from psychiatrist. If you require more of my help in this aspect, please use this URL. http://goo.gl/aYW2pR. Make sure that you include every minute details possible. Hope this answers your query. Available for further clarifications. Good luck.