PTSD From Emotional Abuse

Abusers can exert their authority over others in a multitude of nonviolent ways. These emotional and psychological abuse acts are intended to intimidate and dominate another person in order to keep them in the abusive situation. Trauma symptoms can develop as a result of living in a chronic state of anxiety or witnessing extraordinarily terrifying experiences, like being threatened

Neglect and emotional abuse in childhood can cause lifelong alterations in the growing human brain. These structural alterations in the brain appear to be severe enough to induce psychological and emotional difficulties in adults, such as depression and substance abuse.

Around 14 percent of Americans say they were subjected to emotional abuse or neglect as children.

Emotional abuse can take the form of:

• Demeaning, calling a kid a name, or cursing them
• Threatening to hurt the child physically
• Terrorizing or otherwise frightening the child

Emotional neglect occurs when a kid’s emotional needs are not met. This can involve not being able to:

• Have faith in the child.
• Make a tight-knit family.
• Make your kid feel important or special
• Offer assistance.
• Have a desire for the child’s success

Children’s brains go through periods of rapid development as they grow. Negative experiences can interrupt those stages of development, resulting in brain alterations later on.

This theory is supported by research, which reveals that the timing and duration of childhood abuse might have an impact on how those children are affected later in life. Abuse that begins early in life and continues for a long time, for example, might have particularly harmful consequences.

Dr. Martin Teicher and colleagues at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Northeastern University used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment to uncover quantifiable alterations in brain structure among adults who had experienced early neglect or abuse in their early lives.

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They discovered distinct abnormalities in nine brain regions in individuals who have been through childhood trauma versus those who had not. The brain regions that help regulate feelings and reactions, as well as self-aware thinking, showed the most noticeable changes. The findings of the study show that those who have experienced childhood neglect or abuse are more likely to have mental health problems later in life.

Effects on Structure Of The Brain

Neglect and abuse in childhood can have a variety of detrimental consequences on how the brain is developing. Here are a few examples:

• The corpus callosum, which connects the hemispheres’ cerebral functions (sensory, motor, and cognitive), has shrunk in size.
• The hippocampus, which is critical for memory and learning, has shrunk in size.
• Disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is engaged in the response to stress, at several levels
• The prefrontal cortex has less volume, which impacts emotional equilibrium, behavior, and perception.
• The amygdala, which processes emotions and determines reactions to stressful events or dangerous circumstances, is overactive.
• Cerebellum volume reduction, which can impair motor abilities and coordination