Study Connects Child Abuse To Serious Depression In Adults
Nearly one in 20 people in the UK have [multiple and long-lasting] depression as a result of childhood abuse, say researchers. The [mental health] charity SANE said the study highlighted how damaging childhood trauma could be.
Depression in some form can affect one in five people at some point in their lives. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London were investigating depression which keeps on recurring. They reviewed 16 studies, on a total of more than 23,000 patients, and found that maltreatment in childhood - such as rejection by the mother, harsh physical treatment or sexual abuse - more than doubled the risk of this type of depression. One of the researchers, Dr Rudolf Uher, said: "If these things happen early in life, it is more powerful."
In the UK, 16% of people develop persistent depression by the age of 33. A quarter of them, or 4% of the whole UK population, were maltreated as a child. A separate review on 3,098 people showed childhood maltreatment was also linked to a poorer response to both drug and psychological treatment. Lead researcher Dr Andrea Danese said: "Even for combined treatments, patients with a history of childhood maltreatment cannot be adequately cared for." Their report suggests "early preventive and therapeutic interventions may be more effective."
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Depression in some form can affect one in five people at some point in their lives. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London were investigating depression which keeps on recurring. They reviewed 16 studies, on a total of more than 23,000 patients, and found that maltreatment in childhood - such as rejection by the mother, harsh physical treatment or sexual abuse - more than doubled the risk of this type of depression. One of the researchers, Dr Rudolf Uher, said: "If these things happen early in life, it is more powerful."
In the UK, 16% of people develop persistent depression by the age of 33. A quarter of them, or 4% of the whole UK population, were maltreated as a child. A separate review on 3,098 people showed childhood maltreatment was also linked to a poorer response to both drug and psychological treatment. Lead researcher Dr Andrea Danese said: "Even for combined treatments, patients with a history of childhood maltreatment cannot be adequately cared for." Their report suggests "early preventive and therapeutic interventions may be more effective."
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