In episode 41: A Warrior’s Journey: Overcoming PTSD and Suicidal Thoughts, Part I, we speak with Sergeant Aaron Quinonez about his early childhood trauma. There is a well-researched connection between events in early life and subsequent mental health issues. PTSD, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts have all been tied to adverse childhood experiences, often referred to as ACEs. In today’s blog we want to explore these connections in a bit more depth.
What is an ACE?
Adverse childhood experiences or ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur to children while growing up. They can include:
- Violence in the home
- Child abuse (physical, sexual, emotional)
- Substance abuse in the family
- Homelessness
- Neglect of the child
- Living in a violent or lawless neighborhood
- Suicide attempts or deaths in the family
- Experiencing a natural disaster (e.g., tornado, flood, fire)
- Invasive medical treatment
- Mental health problems of a parent
- Absence of parents
As you can see, there are many potential ACEs. As a result, many people experience one or more such events during their first 17 years of life. It is estimated that more than half of us have experienced at least one ACE while growing up .
The Effects of ACEs
The potential negative effects of ACEs are far-reaching and can be devastating to the person’s development even through adulthood. The more ACEs a child has, the more negative the consequences. Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to:
- Chronic health problems
- Substance abuse
- Mental illness
- Lowered educational achievement
- Poor occupational status
- Poverty
- Many other negative conditions
Indeed, the CDC has stated that ACEs are related to 5 of the 10 leading causes of death.
Mental Illness, PTSD, Suicide and ACEs
In one study, 89% of the inpatients in a psychiatric facility had at least one Adverse Childhood Experience. People who have experienced multiple adverse childhood experiences are much more likely to develop PTSD, the most severe stress-related mental health problem. Similarly, ACEs increase suicide risk. Suicide risk increases dramatically when a person has had multiple ACE events. In fact, the CDC estimates that the risk of suicide for a person who has had 4 ACE events is 30 times greater than that of a person who has had 0 ACE events.
In Conclusion…
ACEs, such as the experience of child abuse, are related to many physical and mental health problems. When children experience multiple ACE events, they become more and more likely to develop severe problems such as PTSD, drug abuse, and even suicidal behavior.