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by Ushanda io Elima Original Article: "Childhood abuse hurts the brain" Link:www.news.harvard.edu The article, "Childhood abuse hurts the brain," by William J. Cromie does us a service. Although the information is not new (Please see Resources below.), it is presented in clear, concise form. And since the study of focus comes from Martin Teicher, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School [italics mine], more readers may take it seriously. The article connects some of the dots between early trauma—neglect; verbal, physical and sexual assault - and its resulting effects. First, trauma causes brain abnormalities in "the structure and function of a brain." Most significantly, this can "increase the risk of everything [italics mine] from anxiety to suicide." The stress of early trauma is "thought to release a cascade of [stress] chemicals, which produces an enduring effect on the signals that brain cells send and receive." Some results of such brain damage are "reduction in the size of sensitive areas," "a significant reduction in the size of the important connector" the corpus callosum, "decreased activity in parts of the brain concerned with emotion and attention," "less blood flow in . . . the cerebellar vermis,” and a brain that is rewired to "overrespond to stress." In turn, the snowballing effects of these early brain changes include: " "less integration of the two halves of the brain, [which] . . . can result in dramatic shifts in mood and personality." There may also be “attention deficits and hyperactivity." Furthermore, the "stabilizing function" needed "to maintain an emotional balance" may be diminished The researchers believe that these "defects contribute to development of depression and memory problems in abused people." Teicher et al even "found evidence of anxiety, depression, and brain differences in . . . students exposed to loud yelling, screaming, and belittling remarks directed at them." Teicher adds, "Childhood abuse can produce abnormal electrical brain activity that resembles a seizure state, but does not actually produce epilepsy." The article states that "People who have been abused as children admit to thinking about suicide more often than those who were not abused." Surprisingly, the author states, "a study done at the National Institutes of Health found that thoughts of committing suicide actually precede depression in abused children." Reflecting a common psychiatric bias Teicher says, "Stress-induced cascades of hormones might be eased by new anti-depressant drugs, relaxation exercises, or psychotherapy." Does he mean, I wonder, that the old anti-depressant drugs aren’t working? Who funded the research? While drugs and relaxation exercises might be helpful for some survivors in the early stages of recovery, these strategies only boost repression to help prevent an overload of trauma memories and pain. Drugs and exercise don’t heal the underlying, damaging effects. In my view, only with appropriate therapy can trauma survivors rewire their brains and return hormones and other dysfunctional symptoms back to natural, healthy functioning. (See Resources below.) But the most potentially harmful part of the report is the implication that child neglect and abuse are somehow acceptable because they have "been part of human history for a very long time." First, human history is very small compared to the millions of years of prehistoric human development. Second, even in our time some hunting and gathering groups demonstrate that childhood trauma is not inevitable. (See Resources.) Third, given the life-destroying effects of early trauma, the cost to people’s lives is not acceptable. True, the above mentioned brain abnormalities may "facilitate survival and reproductive success in hostile environments" for some. But those same trauma effects continue to create hostile environments. Who doesn’t want a better world? Trauma Effects and Recovery Descartes’ Error, by Antonio R. Damasio Trauma and Recovery, by Judith Lewis Herman The Biology of Love, by Arthur Janov The Emotional Brain, by Joseph LeDoux Molecules of Emotion, by Candace B. Pert The Modular Brain, by Richard M. Restak The Developing Mind, by Daniel J. Siegel Memory and Abuse, by Charles L. Whitfield RESOURCES Partnership Societies Pygmy Kitabu by Jean-Pierre Hallet, The Harmless People, by Elizabeth Marshall The Gentle Tasaday, by John Nance The Forest People, by Colin Turnbull |
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