WHAT IF... IT WAS A SURVIVAL STRATEGY BEHIND THE LABEL?

RAL
BEHAVIOU

Young people whose needs were

PROBLEMS

not met naturally find ways of

HYPER-AROUSAL VE T
TI EN
AC HM R
RE AC RDE
T O
AT DIS

adapting to the adults around

LEM ENT
L
NA

ER

S
PR AGEM
IO

MA ANG
SIT T

them. They develop ‘survival

PO FIAN R

OB
P
O DE DE

N
OR
IA DIS
AN
M

behaviours’ which usually fall ANX

DIS IETY
ORD
ER

into  fight/flight (hyper-arousal) SE

PA
AN RAT CONDUCT
DI XIE ION DISORDER
SO T
RD Y

or freeze/collapse (hypo- AL
ER
IC
OG
OL D
ATH MAN CE
P DE DAN
OI

arousal) responses and always

AV
TIC
TIS M
AU TRU
P EC DER
S R
AD

SO
DI

function to protect them from

HD

perceived harm.

REGULATED
Mental health services are often
organised around psychiatric
diagnostic labels. For
traumatised children, their
survival behaviours are C N
NI
IO
SS
RE
PA P

vulnerable to being mis-

DE

understood; mis-diagnosed and

DI PUL VE
E
SO SIV

HYPO-AROUSAL
SI

ER
CO SES
IA

RD
OB
OB

therefore, treated with

PH

interventions targeting the

DISEN CH OF N

outward symptoms, rather than

GAGED
F RO CK
LA ATI
O
SY ATIG NIC OTIV
ND U M
RO E
ME
C
NI
the hidden unresolved trauma. CATA
TO

DA
YD
RE
AM
ER

LAZY

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