Child Abuse Prevention Is Mental Health Prevention

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Child abuse awareness is mental health awareness. Child abuse prevention is mental health prevention. 

Childhood abuse is a major cause of mental illness and addiction. Victims of childhood abuse are at higher risk for a wide range of mental health conditions and substance use disorders.  

Peruse the research literature, and you’ll find that childhood physical and/or sexual abuse are risk factors for almost every mental health condition, most notably:  depression, anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, anorexia and other eating disorders, addiction, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain syndromes, chronic fatigue syndrome, aggression, and personality disorders. The link between early life trauma is likewise strong in people who suffer with substance use and dependence.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Score (see link below) gives individuals a score from 0-10 on a 10 item questionnaire for childhood traumas. A score of 5 or higher is often linked to higher rates of the above listed conditions in adulthood.

Childhood abuse is common, even in surveys of the general population, with up to 31% of men reporting physical abuse and up to 29% of men reporting sexual abuse. These rates are even higher in women: up to 40% reporting physical abuse and up to 36% reporting sexual abuse. 

Abuse changes the structure of the brain. Brain scan studies show changes in and around the hippocampus, which appear to prime the brain for mental illness later on. 

Child abuse awareness is mental health awareness. Child abuse prevention is mental health prevention. This cannot be emphasized enough. 

Understanding and treating the effects of trauma on the neurobiology of the brain may lead to new treatments for conditions often considered unrelated to the trauma. 

Prevention of child abuse might go further toward improving population mental health than any other intervention. 

Take the Adverse Childhood Experiences Quiz here: Take the ACE Quiz – And Learn What It Does and Doesn't Mean https://developingchild.harvard.edu › media-coverage › take-the-ace-quiz-...

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Melissa Deuter.