http://www.acestudy.org/

A Decade-long and Ongoing Collaboration between Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Preventive Medicine in San Diego, California, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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I saw this go by today and wondered if anyone had any comments.

Thanks for posting the link Ian. More and more studies are beginning to focus upon these childhood experiences. The implication that they cause neurological damage is compelling.

It is the deliberate abusive experiences that are most frustrating to think about. Those of us who experienced abuse cannot help but look back and wonder, "What if . . ."

What if we had never been beaten.
What if we had never experienced sexual abuse.
What if we had never been hit in the head or face.
What if we had been reasoned with rather than criticized.
What if we had not lived in homes with chaos of violence or substance abuse.
What if we had been welcomed and loved in our families.

Nothing can undo, apparently, the damage done by these early experiences. What we can do is never pass it on. We can be active in our communities on the behalf of children. We can never to fail to report abuse if we suspect it. We can protect our children from the people in our families whom we know are dangerous. We can be vigilantly aware of these issues.

Regards,
Coral

I've come across this study before and found the information very interesting. It makes sense to look at the root cause of emotional and physical problems rather than simply treating the symptoms. Seems like a sound model.

I'd be even more interested in reading about *treatment* of Adverse Childhood Experiences. I good first step seems to be *acknowledging* the prevalence of "society's betrayal of the child." (< catchy title isn't it, the book is Thou shalt not be aware : society's betrayal of the child by Miller, Alice. It was listed in the "additional references" page of the site you posted.)

My mind is also spinning off into the nurture v. nature dynamic, but, I'm too far beyond tired to follow that thought just now. :rolleyes:

thanks for bringing this back to my attention, ian.

:adopts swiss accent, rubs hands together: this is all *very* interesting...

w.

This is one reason why the Canadian/American healthcare systems are such a mess.

I have met so many people with EARLY STAGE, highly-treatable illnesses who SIMPLY cannot help themselves due to low-grade depression and lack of self-esteem.

For example, when people have grown up being told they are no good during their early lives and having their basic human boundaries consistently violated, they don't give a care if their blood sugar/blood pressure/BMI is too high, etc.

Then they will be having many VERY expensive, high tech/rarely currative interventions at their life's end.

It's quite devastating, in fact.

A number of studies have shown that abused/neglected people use way more healthcare dollars. This is why the system's shift toward patient's doing "self-management" will never ever work FULLY. Too many people live their lives having an "external locus of control."

This is one reason why the Canadian/American healthcare systems are such a mess.

I have met so many people with EARLY STAGE, highly-treatable illnesses who SIMPLY cannot help themselves due to low-grade depression and lack of self-esteem.

For example, when people have grown up being told they are no good during their early lives and having their basic human boundaries consistently violated, they don't give a care if their blood sugar/blood pressure/BMI is too high, etc.

Then they will be having many VERY expensive, high tech/rarely currative interventions at their life's end.

It's quite devastating, in fact.

A number of studies have shown that abused/neglected people use way more healthcare dollars. This is why the system's shift toward patient's doing "self-management" will never ever work FULLY. Too many people live their lives having an "external locus of control."



Uh :/
like i say - bad brings more bad and good brings more good.
this just proves we need to take control of our lives and develop self esteem, happiness. its all up to us now.