I simply typed 'mental illnesses and child abuse' in the search bar to find out more articles and data for my opening sequence. and I did come across many helpful ones. in this blog post, I will be quoting many resourceful articles and would leave the bibliography at the end. I also learned about biological and psychological aspects. all the websites I went through suggested that early life traumatic experiences is a major risk factor for the cause of many psychological and behavioral problems later on in life. health.harvard states: "Your risk for mental and physical health problems from a past trauma goes up with the number of these events you've experienced. For example, your risk for problems is much higher if you've had three or more negative experiences, called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), says Roberts.
These include-
physical abuse sexual abuse
emotional abuse
physical neglect
emotional neglect
witnessing domestic violence
substance misuse within the household
mental illness within the household
parental separation or divorce
incarceration of a household member."
I also learned that females who suffer from any trauma in their childhood are more likely to have a mental illness due to it compared to males.
medicalxpress states:
"The study indicated that children ages 6 to 12 who are physically or sexually abused are more likely to develop symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Children age 13 or older who are sexually abused are also more likely to experience symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD later in life, and those physically abused at this age were more likely to experience PTSD symptoms. Females who experienced sexual abuse suffered more detrimental effects than males."
blueknot also states the mental illnesses that can be caused due to trauma:
"People with complex trauma can have many mental health diagnoses. These include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Borderline Personality Disorder (Spatz et al., 2007), Affective Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, psychosis (Shevlin et al., 2007) including Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, Dissociative Disorders (Dorahy et al., 2016) and Somatic Symptom Disorder (Spitzer et al., 2008). Trauma puts people at risk for psychosis (Schäfer and Fisher, 2011). Many survivors have been diagnosed with multiple coexisting (comorbid) conditions such as substance misuse, Eating Disorders, self-harming behaviours, and suicidality (Cutajar et al., 2010).Any diagnosis may be reflect the diagnosis of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). Others may be related to a coping mechanism (e.g. substance misuse). "
health.harvard also states the physical effect it can have on one's body:
"Physical effects related to trauma. The problem goes beyond unhealthy habits. Experts believe that there is actually a direct biological effect that occurs when your body undergoes extreme stress. When you experience something anxiety-provoking, your stress response activates. Your body produces more adrenaline, your heart races, and your body primes itself to react, says Roberts. Someone who has experienced trauma may have stronger surges of adrenaline and experience them more often than someone who has not had the same history. This causes wear and tear on the body — just as it would in a car where the engine was constantly revving and racing, she says. Stress responses have also been demonstrated in people who have experienced discrimination throughout their lives. "It ages your system faster," says Roberts."
but it is also true that not everyone who has suffered from trauma in their childhood, has a mental illness,
psycholopedia states:
"But not all children who experience early life stress go on to develop mental illness. It seems how you cope with stressful experiences is not only influenced by your prior experiences but also your genes, coping responses and brain regulation. Chemicals in the brain such as cortisol and oxytocin are important for stress and emotional regulation."
although oxytocin is the 'love hormone' it affects the way we deal with stress. "Positive or negative experiences early in life can shape the oxytocin system."
"Similar changes are also clear in humans exposed to childhood trauma. Women who were exposed to child abuse showed reduced oxytocin levels later in life, as did men who had experienced childhood stress. Oxytocin levels were also lower in children who had been raised in neglectful conditions in a Romanian orphanage.
These long-lasting changes affect behavioural outcomes. Exposure to early life adversity increases anxiety and depressive behaviours in rodents, which endures well into adulthood."
bilbilography:
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