Emotional Abuse In Childhood

Around the world, nearly five children die daily due to abuse. About 49% of deceased victims are under the age of one. It is a growing epidemic spanning across the world. Though many reports are made, some are neglected due to the fact that people are not educated and cannot recognise the signs of abuse. There is a spectrum of effects from social skills, to the development of the brain. The effects of emotional abuse in childhood have detrimental effects into adulthood.
Child abuse is a leading contributor to the already big mental illness epidemic. As you are constantly being psychologically beaten down, low self-esteem is evident and slowly leads to clinical depression. Child abuse which is an epidemic will contribute to the very large-scale …show more content…
When the structure and chemical activity of the brain are greatly compromised causing catastrophic effects. Because of these changes, the emotions and functioning of the child would always be hyper alert for danger, preventing the brain from fully developing. The pleasure part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens which controls the release of dopamine and it affects the way we respond to kindness and nurturing acts. If anything were to happen to the nucleus accumbens, our perspective of life and how others interact with each other change for the worse because the brain can’t sense the actions like kindness or affection. The prefrontal cortex which is for executive function, impulse controls, and learning, that is crucial for the growth of a person has one of the most negative effects if damaged. The Amygdala play a central role when it comes to memory, processing fears and emotions. These are some of the most important parts that help children go from adolescence to adulthood. It is extremely detrimental to the person’s health, happiness, and overall wellness when damaged. The body’s stress response system is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The hypothalamic send signals to the pituitary gland which then sends signals to the adrenal gland. Once the gland receives the signals, it releases stress hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol. For example, if you hear Vinush singing, the body then starts to respond by causing the heart to beat faster, airways open up, and pupils dilate making you ready to fight. Abuse causes the system to be consistently activated which the system then goes from live-saving to health-damaging because it might start thinking that dangerous situations are