Before starting the psychiatry module, I had very little understanding of the extent to which our early life experiences can impact on our mental health as adults. My personal belief was that mental illness as an adult was the result of a genetic or biological predisposition that emerged as a result of a stress or adversity in adulthood. However, epidemiological research suggests that the onset of psychiatric disorders in up to one third of cases may be attributable to adverse early life experiences1. Taking this into account, it raises the questions; do both positive and negative early life experiences affect our mental health as adults? If so, how do they do so? And what does this mean for our society as a whole? The question of what exactly …show more content…
Read et al3 describe that in the past, the effects of childhood abuse on mental health was largely underestimated3. Looking at the literature that exists today, there have been numerous studies on how childhood adversities affect adult mental health. I feel one such study that highlights the global extent of the issue was a study carried out by the WHO in 20104. This was aimed at investigating the correlation between mental health and childhood adversities across 21 different countries4. It assessed over 50,000 adults from different social and cultural backgrounds4. Their data showed, that childhood adversities were responsible for 29.8% of all disorders across the countries4. They concluded “Childhood adversities have strong associations with all classes of disorders at all life-course stages in all groups of WMH countries.”4 This evidence is mirrored in many similar studies. To me it is very striking and highlights the close relationship between our early life experiences and adult mental …show more content…
I met middle age man, who was suffering from severe depression. When talking about his life, he divulged that at a young age his mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Over the following 4 years, he watched his mother struggle to beat the disease before finally passing away. In his grief, he had sought the help and guidance from a clergy member who was a family friend throughout his mother’s illness. However, instead of being a figure of support, this clergyman sexually abused the boy throughout his teenage years. As a result of these adversities, he turned to alcohol and drugs and dropped out of school. When questioned, he believed without doubt that his current illness was the direct effect of his troubled childhood. He explains he has never fully recovered from the death of his mother and he has struggled to develop any trusting relationships in his
Dr. Bruce Perry began his book The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook – What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing with a statement about children and their resilience. Much like what we discussed in class, Dr. Perry touched on how children were thought to be naturally resilient and that they seemed to bounce back quickly. However, he continued with the statement that even the slightest bit of stress can impact an infant's development. Likewise, we discussed numerous things that can impact the welfare of children, such as attachment, education, and poverty.
This viewpoint is corroborated by many mental health experts, who state that ‘In those first seven years, in particular, our brains are being programmed just like a computer – but sometimes it all gets wired up in the wrong way with devastating consequences.” (Centres for Health & Healing) If one spends these significant years in an abusive house, their personility will affected in a destrucitve way. At the start of one’s life, one will be under the influence of their parents in developing their inner beliefs about themselves. (Centres for Health & Healing)
Many others experience severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bi-polar, dissociation and psycisomatic illnesses (McIntyre and McKeich, 2009). These illnesses are still seen in the generations of the stolen children. Children that were removed from their families show a higher rate of emotional distress and poor physical health, which affected the rest of their
Research has consistently found that child abuse and neglect (maltreatment) increases the risk of lower academic achievement and problematic school performance. These children have suffered significant emotional stress during critical periods of early brain development and personality formation, the support they require is reparative as well as
It should also trigger assessment of revictimization” (Cotter 1). This is more evidence supporting again how childhood trauma cause mental health problems when the person gets into adulthood, but also says that it can lead to
It isn't always easy to notice emotional abuse because there are not any physical signs as there are in physical abuse. But, like physical abuse, hyperactivity, depression, and PTSD is seen, in emotional abuse. But there are other consequences of emotional abuse, as well. And even though it's hard to determine a direct cause and effect, of abuse, these are some of the most seen, consequences for children who have reported being emotional abuse. Some of these consequences include insecurities, suicidal behaviors, self-harm, distorted view of self, and impaired social development(Frederico 346).
This emotional complexity is a testament to the impact of childhood trauma on adult
In the video "How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime," Nadine Burke Harris explains the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on people's physical and mental health later in life. ACEs are defined as "potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood" and might include abuse, neglect, and dysfunction in the home. Burke Harris says that ACEs can have a major and long-lasting effect on a person's health, raising their risk for a variety of detrimental consequences like substance misuse, heart disease, and depression. Burke Harris raises several important observations, one of which is the prevalence of ACEs, with around two thirds of Americans reporting having had an ACE.
Orphanages were commonly utilized for orphan children before foster care systems emerged in the 19th century (Herman, 2012). As dependent youth have been removed from homes which commonly abuse and neglect them, foster care is known as the current system which child welfare institutions currently use to place these dependent children. As it is commonly known, foster care is a safe haven for dependent children, however many of these children experience trauma and mental health diagnosis. As one examines the trauma and mental health interrelationships in the current literature available, the common themes which are prevalent among research in this area of study are complex trauma, PTSD ,PTSD and internalized symptoms and mental health comorbidity.
It examines the effects of childhood abuse and neglect on later healthiness and mental well-being reflects the Victor-monster relationship in the modern era. The ACE score, a total sum of categories of abuse, is used to assess the cumulative stress on a child. The study reveals a “graded dose-response” relationship between an increased ACE score and negative health and well-being throughout one’s life (CDC). Because Victor insulted & humiliated, society assaulted and wounded, and the monster lived alone with no feelings of love and importance, he would have rated relatively high in this study (ACE). This is assuming society as a pseudo-parental entity, that teaches and influences in the absence of Victor.
A very close cousin of mine grew up in a home in which his father would physically and emotionally abuse his mother and himself. He was in and out of hospital due to the beatings given to his mother by his dad would sometimes land her in hospital. He struggled to cope in school and matters worsened when his father grew sick and eventually passed on because his mother blamed him for their loss. In the end he moved to an orphanage, but he never recovered from the trauma of his childhood. This family problem is not unique as there are a lot of children and parents that have depression, this
Maltreatment has a severe impact on a child’s current and future functioning and development regarding their emotional, social, cognitive, behavioral, and physical wellbeing.(Frederico 345). Different types of abuse, such as physical, emotional, and sexual have different consequences, but the consequences of all maltreatment, are likely to happen in three stages. Firstly, a child may have an initial reaction such as post-traumatic symptoms, painful emotions, and cognitive distortions. Secondly, children develop coping strategies that are aimed to help increase their safety or reduce their pain. Thirdly, a child 's sense of self-worth is damaged and develop the feeling of shame and hopelessness..
In terms of emotions, the child may be on the “baseline of unease, intermediate states of anxiety or extreme panic, fury and despair” (108). This may be because of an unsteady attachment in childhood due to the fact that most child abuse happen in a family-like environment. Herman mentions that the emotional and behavioral impact of chronic child abuse go hand in hand. People who experience chronic child abuse or neglect believe that the only way to end the emotional state that they are in is through self injury (109). The earlier on in childhood the abuse or neglect was, the more repetitive and severe the self harm is (109).
Later on in the story, when his mother asks him what is wrong, he lies and tells her he doesn’t feel well. He’s ashamed of what he’s become and does not want her to find out what has happened to him. At the end of the
In the contemporary times, great importance is given to the significance of early years of a child’s life. It is widely acknowledged now-a-days that the early childhood years are a predominantly receptive phase in the developmental process. This stage is responsible to lay a foundation in early days and later years for cognitive functioning, learning process, physical wellbeing, and self-regulatory capacities in both personal and social lives. In simple words, “the period from birth to age 5 is one of opportunity and vulnerability for healthy physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development” (Karoly, Kilburn & Cannon, 2005). However, it is also a fact that many children go through several stressors during their developmental years due to which their healthy development may be impaired.