The Monsters in My Head: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the Child Survivor of Sexual Abuse

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is 1 of several possible outcomes of child sexual victimization. There is a growing body of literature regarding the prevalence of PTSD among children who have been sexually victimized. Using specific case examples, this article looks at the nature and scope of the problem, diagnostic criteria according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) symptomatology of children presenting with this disorder, assessment and diagnosis, treatment interventions, and implications for counselors treating this population.