Kitt O’Malley

Prevent and Treat Childhood Trauma #1000Speak for Compassion

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[ted id=2194]

Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on.

Nadine Burke Harris’ healthcare practice focuses on a little-understood, yet very common factor in childhood that can profoundly impact adult-onset disease: trauma.

via Nadine Burke Harris: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Talk Video | TED.com.

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Comments

26 responses to “Prevent and Treat Childhood Trauma #1000Speak for Compassion”

  1. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you, Laura!

  2. Laura P. Schulman, MD, MA Avatar
    Laura P. Schulman, MD, MA

    Thank God, people are finally waking up to the fact that growing brains are essentially Bonsai. They grow the way they’re pushed, pulled, and cut. The immune system of the brain and the whole body gets bent along with it, and so on.

    Bravo, Kitt, for this excellent post!

  3. robertmgoldstein Avatar
    robertmgoldstein

    Reblogged this on Art by Rob Goldstein.

  4. La Sabrosona Avatar
    La Sabrosona

    Ok sounds good 🙂

  5. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Sure. Email to my name (one word) at gmail dot com.

  6. La Sabrosona Avatar
    La Sabrosona

    I’ve been procrastinating like no tomorrow on “my story” and that post is coming very very soon. I’d also like to gather up info to the questions that I myself will be answering as a parent with bipolar disorder. Should I email you the questions? And then you could email your responses and add any extra info you’d like or questions you have for me?

  7. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I am glad that you are not that depressedd and that you have the insight to realize that you are communicating rationally. I send you my love, then. I do hope that wherever you are there are mental health resources or support groups available. There are some online such as DBSA online peer support groups.

  8. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Sure. Q & A makes sense, or a conversation about both our experiences.

  9. Trinity Avatar
    Trinity

    Thank you Kitt, but I am not suicidal, just depressed with the things I am going through. I’m not from the US. If I was suicidal I would be unable to communicate and be this rational. Trust me I’ve been there too many times to know this. Rest assure I not going to harm myself I have enough pain already I don’t need more.

  10. La Sabrosona Avatar
    La Sabrosona

    Reblogged this on my spanglish familia and commented:

    Great post highlighting childhood trauma and an increased chance of heart disease and lung cancer among other diseases.

  11. La Sabrosona Avatar
    La Sabrosona

    That is really odd Kitt. I watched the same video on Friday and thought about whipping up a post around the Ted Talk. You beat me to it. I feel guilty at least once a day that I’m screwing up my kids. Would you be up to being a guest blogger on my blog re: being a bipolar parent? I was thinking of getting a few different perspectives and creating one post based on a question and answer format. I’m not sure yet but it would be great to have your support.

  12. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    If you are in the US, please call:
    1 (800) 273-8255
    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
    http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

    You are never completely alone. I have been severely depressed in the past, and am not now. There is help. There is hope.

  13. Trinity Avatar
    Trinity

    Thank you Kitt for your concern. But I’ve done all that and now I’m by myself.I need support but i’m to depressed to start all over again.

  14. Prevent and Treat Childhood Trauma #1000Speak for Compassion | Shirley's Heaven

    […] Prevent and Treat Childhood Trauma #1000Speak for Compassion. […]

  15. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I hope that you are seeing a psychiatrist, in addition to therapy and support groups. Medication has helped me immensely in dealing with symptoms of bipolar disorder. You are not alone. Many other people thrive in spite of difficult childhoods and mental illness.

  16. Trinity Avatar
    Trinity

    Pretty cool but too late for me… I wish these people were this aware and caring for children and their wellbeing in the 70’s, for example. Economics were not a problem in my home, we had everything and yet there were no conscious concerning our mental health when our parents abruptly separated.

    I’ve never saw a social worker in my house after their divorce. On top of losing it all, best friends included, I was completely alone because the creature who supposedly is my sister never liked me, in fact she hates deeply because I was everybody’s favorite since I was born. On top of that I have bipolar Disorder, so not only I have been doing internal work mostly by myself all my life, but I have to cope with bipolar and all the hell it brings to my already destroyed life. I’ve been one of those statistics substance abuse and smoking, when I was younger.

    I don’t smoke, drink or abuse of any substances (sadly) for many years. I am only addicted to smoking cigarettes that I gave up 1 year this month. It’s a constant fight to pay for other peoples mistakes who conditioned my life to this day and still have no idea how much damage they did to my perception of life, and how many things I am not able to live because I don’t believe in them. My brain still sees many “bears” all the time. I manage to find a way to control my panic attacks but not as much as the anxiety part. Yes, I’m screwed.

  17. Prevent and Treat Childhood Trauma #1000Speak for Compassion | SometimesBipolar

    […] Prevent and Treat Childhood Trauma #1000Speak for Compassion. […]

  18. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you. She is a brilliant pediatrician and public speaker.

  19. Annedaria Palme Avatar
    Annedaria Palme

    Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank You so much Kitt for sharing this. It’s a bit scary for me personally, but I needed to see this. It helps explain some things so much better and gives me hope for better outcomes in the future for the children who are suffering today. It’s a long video for some people, but it is definitely worth the time.

  20. Sean Mungin Avatar
    Sean Mungin

    This all makes sense…

  21. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    At least Nadine Burke Harris, MD is. Let’s hope that other pediatricians take note, too.

  22. Amy Avatar
    Amy

    Wow, thank you so much for sharing this. I experienced a lot of ACEs growing up and have spent many years dealing with my own subsequent depression. My brother died prematurely from cardiac arrest. It seems like there is much truth to what she has to say, and as an infectious diseases medical researcher I never realized how much health can be impacted by these early childhood experiences. Glad to know pediatricians are taking notice.

  23. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    She is one incredibly moving speaker!

  24. FinickyFeet Avatar
    FinickyFeet

    Powerful video! Thank you for sharing.

  25. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you!

  26. MarthasMakeup Avatar
    MarthasMakeup

    Thanks so much for sharing!

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