Child Abuse.
Just how bad is it? Over 4 million children suffer from it every year; a figure that will only increase (Szalavitz, 2012). The bruises, the cuts, and the emotional drama that children suffer from during abuse are only the beginning of the pain they will experience throughout their life.
Children who were abused or witnessed abusing at a young age are extremely vulnerable to facing mental health issues later in life. Many studies have been conducted to determine the extent to which this is true.
A case study
In a long-term study, which evaluated abuse victims until age 21, it was discovered that 80% experienced at least one psychiatric disorder set forth by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). Several of the more common disorders included the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eating Disorders
- Suicide Attempts
In addition to the statistics, which correlate abuse to long-term mental health issues, there is also biological evidence to support this claim. It has been discovered that severely abused victims have experienced shrinking in and around the hippocampus in the brain (Szalavitz, 2012).
The hippocampus is responsible for connecting emotions and senses to memory. A child who has been abused as a kid will experience more severe memories, leading to more stress in the hippocampus. This stress will cause the brain to delay its growth, resulting in shrinkage. A child’s brain needs to be fully healthy while developing; otherwise the child’s overall development can be jeopardized. Damage to the hippocampus may then leave the child more vulnerable to mental issues.
Mental Health Recovery 
