*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on PsychCentral.
New research suggests that nearly 50 percent of teens seen in the emergency department for any reason report peer violence. Moreover, nearly 50 percent also report being the victims of cyberbullying.
Researchers also discovered that almost one-quarter of teens in the emergency department report symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The study, led by Megan Ranney, M.D., MPH, suggests interpersonal conflicts fuel severe mental health issues. Specifically, cyberbullying, physical peer violence, and PTSD are common and inter-related.
This finding reinforces the critical need for early identification and treatment of interpersonal issues.
Researchers examined 353 adolescents in a Children’s Hospital emergency department. They discovered that regardless of chief reason for emergency room visit, 23.2 percent of the teens reported current symptoms consistent with PTSD, 13.9 percent had moderate or higher depressive symptoms, and 11.3 percent reported suicidal thoughts within the past year.
The adolescents commonly reported physical peer violence (46.5 percent), cyberbullying (46.7 percent), and exposure to community violence (58.9 percent).
“PTSD in adolescents has been associated with long-term functional impairment, including poor physical health, academic failure, and increased need for medical services,” said Ranney.
“But, despite the availability of effective treatment, PTSD is currently underdiagnosed, underreported, and undertreated, especially among children and adolescents.”
Investigators found that the PTSD symptoms strongly correlated with a variety of co-occurring risk exposures. For example, being a victim of cyberbullying or physical peer violence, exposure to community violence and alcohol or drug use.
Saliently, few of the teens with PTSD reported receiving any mental health care in the past year.
“These results should serve as a reminder to parents, schools, and physicians that these problems are prevalent in our community,” said Ranney.
“This study also highlights that teens with a history of cyberbullying or peer violence are more likely to have PTSD, which is a very treatable disease if properly identified and addressed.”
Source: PsychCentral
http://psychcentral.com/news/2016/02/19/teen-er-visits-tied-to-bullying-peer-conflicts/99360.html