Posttraumatic disorder, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children, in addition to the classic symptoms of intrusiveness, avoidance and hyperactivation, can present itself in a more characteris- tic way on the basis of the developmental stage of the child. The nature and severity of the experienced event, the proximity to the trauma, the time and the individual percep- tion can also affect its incidence. Failure to correctly diagnose the trauma can lead to chronic symptoms and facilitate the emergence of complex PTSD, dissociative type disor- ders, borderline personality disorder, or other personality disorder patterns in adult age. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based ap- proach for the treatment of PTSD and for symptoms related to unfavorable life events; it is characterized by its effectiveness and speed of the intervention and it can be applied in people of any age starting from 2 years of life.