This particular kind of damage can lead to a wide range of medical conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), diabetes, heart situations, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating and adjustment disorders, cancer, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), fibromyalgia, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, autoimmune diseases, high risk behaviors, developmental delays, fatigue, gastro intestinal incidents, and learning difficulties among others.
From my personal experience, I've been a victim of several of these health issues like delayed-stress disorder from childhood abuse, high and low blood sugar from not taking care of myself due to melancholy, worry from being in various institutions as a child, substance dependence from wanting to numb the pain from my past, eating disorders due to not caring about myself, persistent pain which my therapist equates to the trauma I suffered, nightmares about my childhood, high risk conduct in the past, intellectual disabilities related to math and science, and learning disabilities associated with a cognitive impairment.
According to research, adult survivors often feel ashamed or stigmatized for their childhood adversity. Complex trauma can affect children in a multitude of ways. For instance, my PTSD puts me on high alert at all times so I'm working with a therapist on that as well as other issues. Among the symptoms of this disorder are irritation and agitation. Overthinking is another coping mechanism developed in childhood as a response to trauma.
Then there is Complex PTSD which involves, among other things, constantly feeling on edge like waiting for the other shoe to drop. People with PTSD or the latter can consider jobs that are low-stress, flexible or creative such as gardening, massage therapy, freelance work, working with animals, driving, temporary office work, graphic designer, content writing, or working remotely. One of the seven symptoms of PTSD is emotional numbness. There is also a fawn response with PTSD to persons such as people pleasing, not setting boundaries, and putting others' needs before your own in relationships.
New findings recently published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity from UCLA Health not only revealed these stressors can cause specific health effects, but they also systematically differ from males and females. Health disparities can also result from biological responses to trauma that are passed down through genetics, illustrating the power of environment, the long-term effects of the wound or wounds, and how traumatic events may make it difficult to manage overall health, says Penn State Health News. For example, both my parents were alcoholics, and my maternal grandpa as well as a lot of my mom's relatives are and were alcoholic.
According to a study by the National Library of Medicine's Frontiers in Psychology, the more traumatic events the adult participants experienced the more chronic conditions they had. I jokingly tell some people I'm on more medications than an extremely elderly person.
Healthline suggests that primary care doctors start asking their patients about past trauma during initial and even regular visits. Trauma that occurs during childhood can continue to influence a person's feelings and behaviors as an adult.
The first step in dealing with any form of illness or disorder is recognizing your specific triggers and symptoms. Not everyone who experiences childhood trauma will develop all of the problems.
When a child experiences a traumatic event, their brain may learn to protect itself by disconnecting from reality also known as disassociation. I can remember this started for me as young as age five when I experienced abuse from my dad for the first time. This tool led me to disassociate in various situations which allowed me to cope, however it didn't serve me well. Disassociation is a mental escape that takes place when a physical one isn't possible.
A therapist once said to me, "You know the war is over, you just haven't put down the sword."
Psychology Today reports that childhood adversity is linked to personality traits such as high negative emotion and focus on external success.
One of my sisters was always super responsible and a high achiever and she associated her achievements with her worth. It wasn't till a few years ago when she retired that she learned her accomplishments weren't her identity. Though they were quite impressive, she had to learn how to have fun because she never got to experience that as a teenager. Instead, she was running the whole house at 12, doing all the cleaning, cooking, laundry, taking care of me, all the while being an honors student and participating in extracurricular activities at school. I don't know how she did it. I once looked at a picture of my daughter who was 12 at the time and couldn't imagine her doing all that my sister did plus putting up with my dad's abuse of both of us. Our mom and dad had divorced when I was nine and my sister and I lived with our father.
Therapy, self-care, and building a support system.
The term "self-care" used to be called hygiene but in recent years the term has changed, and many people don't know exactly what it is. It involves bathing on a regular basis, brushing your teeth, changing your bedding, meditation, attending support groups, cleaning your house, taking part in fun activities, doing laundry on a regular basis, eating well, getting enough sleep, listening to music, reading, hobbies, exercising, spending time with family and friends, volunteering, and taking part in community events, for instance.