30/10/2025
Growing up in an unsafe or abusive environment can leave deep scars that don’t just fade with time. Childhood trauma, whether from neglect, bullying, or emotional abuse, can triple the risk of developing serious mental health conditions in adulthood. Scientists studying over 93,000 cases found that children who faced these experiences are more likely to struggle with anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, or even psychosis later in life.
The effects are particularly striking when it comes to borderline personality disorder, with childhood trauma increasing the chances of diagnosis up to fifteen times. Emotional abuse alone is strongly tied to anxiety, the most common mental health problem, but all forms of trauma can disrupt brain development, reshaping both its structure and function. This disruption makes the mind more vulnerable to illnesses years after the painful experiences took place.
Even trauma experienced in adulthood raises risks, though not as dramatically, showing just how deeply these events affect mental resilience. Experts stress that when treating mental illness, it’s not enough to look at symptoms alone. Understanding a patient’s life history is key, even if it means revisiting difficult memories. Preventing trauma in the first place—through family education, anti-bullying programs, and social support—could be one of the strongest ways to protect long-term mental health. This research was carried out by experts at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute.
Research Paper 📄
PMID: 36208317
