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Traumatized Tisha
Tisha, 17, was having significant behavioral issues ever since the age of 13. Before that Tisha was considered a “pretty normal child.” Lately she was always acting out, yelling, cursing, fighting and using profanity etc. When Tisha was 13, she bludgeoned her Uncle Pete’s car with a softball bat he had given her as a gift because he “embarrassed her.” No one could understand why Tisha was so unpredictable, especially around her Uncle Pete. One day Tisha was expelled from school for some sexually acting out behavior with another female student in the bathroom of her school. Assuming her daughter was “Bipolar” Annette, Tisha’s mother brought her to LifeBridge after reading an article in a local magazine about SPECT. Desperate to help her troubled daughter we met with Tisha.
Case description
Tisha was so oppositional at her worst that she would never agree to go to therapy or counseling. A pediatrician she trusted recommended some medications, but for the most part Tisha just refused them. Tisha had some tell tale signs of trauma during our interview process. When some of the acting out behavior was described by Tisha traumatic themes emerged. Within an hour of so, evidences were gathered that implicated her Uncle Pete in some sexual misconduct with Tisha right around age 13, when her behavior problems began. The picture of the behavioral problem was looking more like a trauma victim. Uncle Pete has since pleaded guilty to several counts of indecent liberties with a minor.
PTSD
1. Increased anterior cingulate gyrus activity on both resting and concentration measures, more pronounced during concentration.
2. Increased basal ganglia activity, more pronounced on the left side on both studies.
3. Symmetrical increased thalamic hyperperfusion activity at rest and more pronounced during concentration.
4. Increased right temporal tracer activity and decreased left temporal activity noted in both studies.
LifeBridge Treatment Plan
The LifeBridge treatment team recommended psychosocial and pharmacological/nutritional recommendations for Tisha. Tisha was prescribed an SSRI and EMDR therapy to deal with some of the physical and emotional scars she received from her uncle’s sexual abuse. Tisha began to notice improvement in some of her “reminder” symptoms after about 3 sessions of EMDR. An extensive supplement regime was also prescribed to maximize neurotransmitter availability. Support groups for family members dealing with family perpetrated sexual abuse were also recommended as there was a huge division in the family once the abuse surfaced. We also recommended some communication classes for the family in order to increase overall communication efficacy.
Treatment Update
To date Tisha has graduated from high school and is living with her boyfriend in another state. She is currently attending a state college studying psychology. Tisha no longer has flashbacks but does reports to us that she does have the reminder cues and mood changes, but they are more “manageable.” Tisha states her relationship with her mother and father has “gotten better” and some of her family members have since accepted her side of the abuse story and family healing, while in its infancy, is starting to bloom in throughout Tisha’s family. Tisha is considering studying PTSD and its effects on teens and may possibly go on to be a researcher or practicing psychologist. Tisha told us in a follow-up call that, “I want to be able to help other kids that have secrets know its okay to tell them, and that the only way to get better….. is to tell someone and get help.”
