There are many issues and even illnesses that can occur as a result if trauma. The one I wish to address today is mental illness. It may not surprise you that depression and anxiety can result from a child being traumatized, but even schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can develop as well.
Children who have been traumatized are four times more likely to develop mental illness. While many forms of mental illness are genetic, an abused child can develop a serious mental illness without any genetic component at all.
I truly believe that early intervention can prevent serious mental illness in adulthood. If a child is able to find a safe place to heal and recover from their trauma, it makes sense that anxiety and depression would decrease. We can only hope that other mental illness like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder could also be prevented.
As I’ve noted before, there is so much more out there today to help children navigate and process their trauma. We can only hope that the percentage of mental illness in our communities will decrease.