by Nisa Islam Muhammad
Staff Writer

WASHINGTON�Keisha is 18-years-old. In her short life, the Black teen has been in several fights, seen her mother beat up and watched a friend get stabbed.

Her baby�s father once pulled a gun on her, threatening to shoot if she didn�t leave his apartment. It was just another day in the neighborhood for Keisha, who says her friends have nearly the same experiences. Rarely does a day go by when she doesn�t hear about or witness some traumatic event.

"Life on the street is rough but I deal with it. My mom works, my dad is nowhere to be found and for most of my growing up I was on my own. I went to school but I didn�t like it so I dropped out in the ninth grade," she said.

Study results reported in mid-September found a majority of urban girls surveyed were similar to Keisha in exposure to violent events and also suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. First diagnosed in Vietnam War vets, post traumatic stress disorder is marked by intrusive thoughts, avoidant behavior and feelings of fear and anxiety.

"More and more of our girls and boys are witnessing first hand violence of their loved ones. The trauma is wide spread and there is a normal, acute period of grieving that takes place," Dr. Darlene Lawrence told The Final Call. "But often the trauma causes problems that extend beyond that acute period leading to post traumatic stress syndrome."

Keisha doesn�t really understand what post traumatic stress disorder means and how it relates to her life, which looks like everyone else�s in her world.

"I�m just trying to make it. I know this isn�t the best way to live. Sure I get nervous about the gunshots I hear. I bite my nails and smoke a lot, but right now I can�t do anything about it," she said.

One fear is traumatic experiences leave the young women more likely to be depressed, to abuse alcohol or drugs and get arrested.

According to Dr. Deborah S. Lipschitz, whose research on girls and trauma was released in the September issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 92 percent of girls in urban areas she studied for six months had witnessed at least one form of trauma. More than 85 percent had witnessed community violence, such as a shooting (56 percent), stabbing (39 percent) and/or homicide (13 percent), she said.

The study included inner city girls� aged 12-21�88 percent were Black, 3 percent were Latina, 3 percent were white and 4 percent were from other ethnicities.

The report found 32 percent of the girls had witnessed a physical fight between adults at home, 30 percent reported at least one episode of inappropriate sexual conduct by someone outside the family, and 16 percent reported having been physically abused.

With skyrocketing incarceration rates for Black women and problems of drug usage, many see the daily trauma girls face fueling these crises.

"Studies have shown that 80-90 percent of the girls in the juvenile justice system have been sexually abused. This damages their self-esteem and causes them to act out even more. They begin to exploit their bodies," said Leslie Al-Hakim, a child advocate for the Maryland Juvenile Justice System.

"Their lives become so damaged that they become the derogatory things and names that are used against them. They use the B-word as a term of endearment with each other. Once they�ve been abused and exploited they begin to abuse and exploit themselves," she said.

"Inner city girls face serious situations every day," explained Melissa Edwards, MSW, chair of the Health and Mental Health for the D.C. chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers.

"This trauma occurs often and what makes it worse is when the trauma is not dealt with. Our girls witness tragedies to those they love and care about but we don�t deal with it. Culturally, we don�t go to a therapist. Our families are close natured. When things happen they are not spoken about in the family and definitely not talked about outside of the family," she added.

What should parents do whose girls have experienced trauma? "Get them the help they need," urged Ms. Edwards. "Black social workers strive to connect with their clients because we can recognize the signs and symptoms because many of us have experienced the same things growing up in the inner city.

"When nothing is done to confront and deal with the traumatic experience, that girl�s outlook on life is totally changed and she begins to operate out of her fear that something will happen again," she said.

The girls may need counseling, support services from parents or guardians, their regular doctor, a psychologist, or a psychiatrist, said Ms. Edwards, who added that drug therapy may also be needed.