Effects Of Childhood Trauma

INTRODUCTION Around the world, millions of children are experiencing loss and abuse, and its effects. Experiencing loss and abuse as a child are types of childhood trauma. Childhood trauma, according to the National Institute of Mental health is, “The experiences of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects”[1]. Abuse and loss can lead to childhood trauma depending on how influential they are as well as how well the individual copes with either. Throughout this paper, we will be researching the effects of loss and abuse as childhood trauma, on the body, brain, and health of a human being. LOSS
What is childhood trauma? Childhood trauma is trauma experienced …show more content…
Loss, as said many times before, leads to grief. This grief, if left untreated can lead to mental illnesses and behavioral issues. The way in which someone responds to grief affects how they move on, and how it affects their future. Feelings you have during that time, may come back in flashes when reminded of the person or incident. These flashbacks can possibly cause an overwhelment of feelings and emotions. That is the biggest long-term effect of grief[6]. Another effect is Complicated Grief. Complicated grief is prolonged grief, which can affect more than the emotional part of your brain. With complicated grief, any memory of the lossed one can cause grief, but also pleasure. The nucleus accumbens, which is in charge of the reward system and social attachment, is affected in complicated grief. Because of that, grief can be pleasurable. By making grief a pleasure, it's now harder for individuals with complicated grief to move on and get their mental health back because they will always be grieving. Those are the main long term effects of …show more content…
In general, childhood trauma causes stress which causes many mental and behavioral disorders. These include depression, anxiety, self-harm and bad relationships. Later in life, people with a past of loss or abuse are at a higher risk of illness and risky behavior. With this new knowledge we can understand and help people who are experiencing loss and abuse. We now know how to treat and help them based on the numerous effects childhood trauma has. In terms of loss, we can help people better cope with it. With abuse, we can help prevent the continuation of it in later generations. Ultimately with this knowledge we can help people cope with loss and decrease the number of abusers and abused children around the