Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is something that I always heard about happening to people who'd been in combat or who'd been victims of crimes. I never realized that it occurred in adopted children as well, although when you think about it, what some of these children have seen and been through before they've come to a stable family could be considered both combat and a crime.

Here's the definition of PTSD from about.com:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs as a result of exposure to a traumatic event or events -- whether a single ordeal, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or act of violence, or years of abuse or neglect. People with PTSD may re-experience the trauma as flashbacks, or just maintain a state of heightened alertness, leading to headaches, stomach problems and other debilitating symptoms. Cognitive-behavior therapy is often effective in treating PTSD.

Children who have been adopted from Russia are at risk of experiencing PTSD because of trauma they may have experienced before they entered the orphanage as well as trauma in the orphanage itself. Being separated from family, even an abusive family, is another source of trauma.

National Association of School Psychologists have an online brochure on trauma and children, where they outline signs and symptoms of PTSD in children include. These are the main three symptoms of PTSD, accoring to them:

Re-experiencing of the trauma during play or dreams. For example, children may:

· Repeatedly act out what happened when playing with toys
· Have many distressing dreams about the trauma
· Be distressed when exposed to events that resemble the trauma or at the anniversary of the trauma event
· Act or feel as if the trauma is happening again

Avoidance of reminders of the trauma and general numbness to all emotional topics. For example, children may:

· Avoid all activities that remind them of the trauma
· Withdraw from other people
· Have difficulty feeling positive emotions

Increased "arousal" symptoms. For example, children may:

· Have difficulty failing or staying asleep
· Be irritable or quick to anger
· Have difficulty concentrating
· Startle more easily

It's extremely important that children who've been through trauma be given help for their experiences. Parents can do a number of things to help their children feel safe and validate their feelings, but in many cases professional help will be needed to help the child move from victim to survivor.