[HN Gopher] Abuse and the developing human brain (2000)
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Abuse and the developing human brain (2000)
        
       Author : softwaredoug
       Score  : 47 points
       Date   : 2022-01-28 20:55 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.dana.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.dana.org)
        
       | temp0826 wrote:
       | I work at an ayahuasca retreat center in Peru, and childhood
       | abuse is one of the more common things people come here to work
       | on. Often people will arrive with rather "generic" intentions for
       | their stay (e.g. anxiety or depression) and will often discover
       | after a couple ceremonies that childhood wounds had created
       | broken patterns that have governed their whole lives. It's often
       | shocking, but once the realization is there the healing work can
       | begin. IMO, the traumas don't have to be permanent, as the intro
       | to the article says. Ayahuasca isn't necessary (though I do think
       | it's quite a boon to this work!), therapy can be sufficient for
       | many. Don't be afraid to get help.
        
         | beebeepka wrote:
         | Are functional junkies welcome where you work? Asking for a
         | friend.
        
           | temp0826 wrote:
           | Most definitely. Past drug use and related traumas are
           | another biggy. But of course you wouldn't be able to use
           | while here (while on the diet), and likely should take a
           | break from any/all substances prior to arriving. (This is not
           | solely due to the possibility of contraindications with
           | ayhuasaca's MAOI effects, but it's a big reason)
        
         | exikyut wrote:
         | _[Mumbling about the lack of contact details in your profile]_
         | 
         | (I'm _quite_ far away from Peru myself, but others might not
         | be)
        
           | temp0826 wrote:
           | nihuerao.com is the center's website. Compared to other
           | centers, there are very few "tourists" that come here that
           | are just interested in trying out aya; much more catered to
           | long-term dieters than the average center. It's very
           | traditional Shipibo, with a big focus on "master plant" diets
           | (additional plants taken along with ayahuasca for their
           | healing/teaching abilities), and tends on the stricter side.
        
       | mkl95 wrote:
       | I grew up in a hypocritical society where on paper you are free
       | to choose your own beliefs, but in reality education is dominated
       | by ancient catholic values. As a schoolkid you feel like little
       | more than a prisoner. I wonder how much it contributes to shaping
       | kids personalities, and how much it contributes to the area's
       | absurdly low birthrate.
        
       | scrozart wrote:
       | > Published: October 1, 2000
       | 
       | Not knocking the article, but I'd love to see something a ouch
       | more recent. Our understanding of PTSD, in particular, has
       | changed a bit in the past 20+ years.
        
       | z3c0 wrote:
       | I experienced extreme physical abuse when I was 3 (my babysitter
       | used to shot put me across the living room when I wouldn't take
       | naps.)
       | 
       | A lot of what is in this article, I can attest to firsthand. I
       | didn't realize I had been abused until I was 15, as I had stifled
       | the memory, and though I remembered it, it never "clicked" as
       | abuse before then. I've had a host of mental health problems that
       | have led to me being diagnosed ADHD/bi-polar in my early teens,
       | with the latter being renegged as too hasty of a diagnosis.
       | 
       | Today, I can't get a diagnosis, as I don't have enough symptoms
       | in each category to fulfill any one (BPD vs DID vs PTSD). It
       | feels like I have some kind of grab-bag illness of all three.
       | What's more, the medicinal options available to me are awful, and
       | cause me a whole host of different problems, both physical and
       | mental.
       | 
       | What I'm trying to say is that - as someone dealing with these
       | problems - it still feels like there's a long way to go before I
       | have any real options towards improving my mental health. I'm
       | very hopeful for the increasing popularity of THC/CBD for the
       | treatment of trauma, as I've found that to work wonders for
       | stopping/avoiding psychosis. I've communicated this too all my
       | doctors, but it's never been taken seriously. I am "prone to drug
       | abuse" after all.
        
         | Lammy wrote:
         | Apologies if this comes off as trying to e-diagnose you, but
         | may want to look into "Complex PTSD" (ICD-11 F62.0) if you
         | haven't.
         | 
         | "Complex PTSD is a new disorder category describing a symptom
         | profile that can arise after exposure to a single traumatic
         | stressor, but that typically follows severe stressors of a
         | prolonged nature or multiple or repeated adverse events from
         | which separation is not possible (e.g., exposure to genocide
         | campaigns, childhood sexual abuse, child soldiering, severe
         | domestic violence, torture, or slavery)."
         | 
         | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3799241/
        
       | bubblecheck wrote:
       | Throughout childhood, I was subjected to serious physical abuse
       | by my peers, as well as serious verbal bullying/psychological
       | abuse.
       | 
       | I stood up to a long term bully with a below-the-belt comment,
       | which led to extremely violent abuse from peers. One of the last
       | incidents was on the property of a town police officer, before
       | high school started (around 12 yrs old). The police officer stood
       | by while I was horribly beat up (punched full blast to my balls)
       | by a scumbag with a group of people behind him.
       | 
       | The physical abuse included acute trauma from repeated impacts
       | via punches and full strength kicks to my head. Saw stars every
       | time I was hit, like those old Batman comics.
       | 
       | I entered high school as a broken child with cemented learned
       | helplessness. Never the same.
       | 
       | Now homeless and destitute. I became permanently suicidal after
       | grade school, totally afraid of death. Trapped in an unwanted
       | life. Just went homeless yet again last night suddenly. The one
       | shelter here seems like a psyop of sorts: in view of wealthy
       | people, under blinding bright lights. Fodder for the wealthy,
       | like a dystopian plot in popular Netflix shows.
       | 
       | I now suffer from tinnitus and hyperacusis picked up from
       | overexposure. I am a destitute middle aged white male college
       | dropout. Suicidal all of the time. This time going homeless I
       | have no vehicle to sleep in. It's warm here but I am unsheltered.
       | Demoralized, defeated, and hoping to die.
       | 
       | I beg of God to forgive me and grant me peace in the afterlife,
       | whether I am able to complete suicide now or later.
        
         | suifbwish wrote:
         | I once tried to help an acquaintance find a men's homeless
         | shelter. We probably called 15 at least but almost all of them
         | deal only with women and children. It's heartbreaking. Men who
         | are homeless have very little resources compared to other
         | demographics. Please try contacting some organizations where
         | you can volunteer; often times they are filled with good people
         | who would be happy to put you up in their home and help you
         | find your feet. It may feel like all is lost but it never is.
         | Sometimes it's very difficult if not impossible to believe that
         | but it is true.
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | thanks for the kind suggestions
           | 
           | not going to try or do anything else again
           | 
           | too many cycles of failure
           | 
           | my only remaining desires are peace, rest, death asap, then
           | nothingness
        
         | filters wrote:
         | > The physical abuse included acute trauma from repeated
         | impacts via punches and full strength kicks to my head. Saw
         | stars every time I was hit, like those old Batman comics.
         | 
         | Laws usually protect adults from such treatment. How come the
         | courtesy not extended to, uh, not-yet-adults especially given
         | the high stakes? One of the loudest political cries in the
         | west(especially, America) is "thinka-da-chillins". Is that an
         | empty virtue signal? I mean people in the US act like a stray
         | nlpple on prime-time TV will scar half the population for life,
         | yet this is something that'll buff out? Neurotypicals are a
         | mystery sometimes :)
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | I heard that child:child violence is not tolerated any
           | longer, at least not to the same extent as what I experienced
           | decades ago.
        
         | crakenzak wrote:
         | It's absolutely gut wrenching to read your experience, no one
         | should ever have to go through that. Please if you're ever
         | having suicidal thoughts speak to a suicide hotline specialist.
         | I almost lost a friend to suicide and he was really helped by
         | talking to non judgmental people who genuinely wanted to help.
         | 
         | Hope you're doing great, and life gets better.
        
           | s5300 wrote:
           | Just a heads up, suicide hotlines are an absolute joke,
           | especially for those in long-term/drawn out situations like
           | OP's
           | 
           | They typically result in nothing more than police showing up
           | to your house, carting you off to a place that will end with
           | thousands of dollars of medical bills & no meaningful help.
           | 
           | I'm glad you know somebody who had a positive experience, but
           | it's really not the norm.
        
             | haswell wrote:
             | If anyone is reading this comment and needs help, hotlines
             | are absolutely not just a complete joke.
             | 
             | Hotlines do tend to be staffed by volunteers, and there are
             | bound to be circumstances that are not handled as well as
             | they could've been. But the opposite is also true.
             | 
             | But if you need help, call.
             | 
             | To the parent comment, some anecdotal opinions are best
             | left unshared. This is one of them.
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | I just became homeless again last night. Thanks for your
           | thoughtful suggestion.
        
         | mettamage wrote:
         | > I was subjected to serious physical abuse by my peers, as
         | well as serious verbal bullying/psychological abuse.
         | 
         | Same, we all were, my first school was a special needs school
         | and kids were having all kinds of mental health issues.
         | 
         | > I entered high school as a broken child with cemented learned
         | helplessness. Never the same.
         | 
         | I had the luck to be transfered to a normal elementary school
         | after they tested me thoroughly at age 10. I was a wounded kid,
         | the teacher at that school patched me up.
         | 
         | > Trapped in an unwanted life.
         | 
         | I feel that we all have this to some extent. In all cases, I've
         | noticed that a stoic mindset (and ok sleep combined with ok
         | food) is the only thing that helps.
         | 
         | > I beg of God to forgive me and grant me peace in the
         | afterlife, whether I am able to complete suicide now or later.
         | 
         | I've noticed suicidal ideation comes and goes. Because of that,
         | it'd be a mistake to ever give in IMO. With that said, it seems
         | you need help but I am in Europe. So I am not sure how to give
         | it.
         | 
         | Ask HN: Assuming bubblecheck lives in the US can someone from
         | the US (or a group from the US) help bubblecheck?
         | 
         | Feel free to email me, if you want someone to talk to.
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | I have been steadily suicidal for a long time and have not
           | completed it.
           | 
           | No help is requested or required.
           | 
           | I am now 100% unsheltered and in survival mode. I didnt sleep
           | last night due to this.
           | 
           | I am charging my phone at a food establishment here. Then I
           | need to decide between unsheltered sleep and use the last of
           | my cash for a rope, which will be a waste since I am scared
           | to face death.
           | 
           | I've bought and discarded complete, 100% planned inert gas
           | setups with regulator, bag, etc, all planned incl ropes to
           | hold my hands down
           | 
           | I've bought and discarded numerous ropes over the years, most
           | suitable for the less common drop hang.
           | 
           | While I do oscillate, it's only between "suicidal ideation
           | daily" and "i am executing on a plan to attempt completion."
           | 
           | I can count the weeks on one hand where I've gone entirely
           | without suicidal thoughts, since decades ago. It's constant,
           | just varies in intensity and highly situational - eg my
           | shelter is gone and I am back contemplating the end
           | 
           | the thing is. I dont want help, I dont really want any more
           | advice or ideas. Prolonging an unwanted life is burdensome to
           | others; now to kind strangers on hn. It's a pattern that I
           | wish to break but unfortunately I will not seek to rebuild a
           | life again.
           | 
           | This really leaves scraping the bottom to survive while
           | avoiding outright suicide plan follow-thru. right now i am
           | stuck trying to decide between unsheltered homelessness in an
           | unwanted life, in pain anyway, and just getting it over with
           | anyway
           | 
           | __
           | 
           | The fact is, I gave up at age 11. I decided that I would not
           | participate meaningfully in a corrupt society that tolerates
           | abuse and violence. As per the study, leaving these matters
           | unresolved turned out causing me and my loved ones a great
           | deal of pain. When others hurt you, you are responsible for
           | self care unless (and until) civil compensation is sought and
           | awarded. That isn't feasible for children except in egregious
           | cases of intentional harm.
           | 
           | What got me was how the bully increased his ongoing abuse
           | against me once he saw it was hurting me. Behind my back or
           | to my face, "Just teasing you." No, bully, telling me that my
           | parents are garbage, my family is shit, and that I'll grow up
           | to be a serial killer because your abuse hurt me is blatantly
           | malicious. Totally unprovoked multi year bullying, obviously
           | hurting me, no response from teachers -- finally broke me.
           | The truly damaging physical abuse started thereafter. I
           | forgive you, but the damage was extensive, and snowballed
           | into a lifetime of torment inc'h aforementioned extensive
           | physical abuse. I am totally ruined.
           | 
           | The hard reality: it was 100% on me or my family to address
           | my needs to defend against this early on. We are responsible
           | to protect ourselves. You can't expect a school to step up
           | esp when you're in an atheist (non church going fam) in a
           | highly religious/tribal affluent community.
           | 
           | I've gone the other way entirely, self-sabotage and
           | positioning myself to be taken advantage of repeatedly; a
           | theme that plays out consistently, further cementing cynicism
           | about human culture.
           | 
           | Violence in popular culture and justified by national
           | military apparati causes cognitive dissonance in a child who
           | seeks peaceful interactions, but is instead exposed to
           | systemically-condoned violence.
        
         | fractallyte wrote:
         | Don't give up.
         | 
         | The best thing you can do is to get a handle on your past: read
         | about trauma (The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van Der
         | Kolk), and try to connect with a trauma therapist.
         | 
         | Trauma often manifests itself in physical symptoms. There are
         | paths that lead to healing...
         | 
         | There _is_ hope, there _are_ people who will understand, and
         | _you deserve it_.
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | death is the ultimate gift, assuming there is no existence
           | beyond our human life
           | 
           | stopped trying to cope years ago, on my way out
        
             | fractallyte wrote:
             | Today I read Yasmeena's Choice, by Jean Sasson
             | (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18376565-yasmeena-s-
             | choi...)
             | 
             | There was a girl, Lana, 16 years old. She fought, all the
             | way...
             | 
             | It's horrific, and sobering, and _may_ help you to get a
             | perspective on your troubles.
        
             | akomtu wrote:
             | That's a rich assumption, perpetuated by those who choose
             | comfy ignorance. The ultimate gift is reason that lets us
             | foresee consequencies without experiencing them. Also,
             | someone who has nothing to lose wouldn't live like that. If
             | I had a terminal stage cancer and one month left, I
             | wouldn't sit and waste time.
        
             | exikyut wrote:
             | For a while I've been keeping my eye out for short-circuit
             | approaches that aid in questioning the assumption that
             | "this existence is it", and provide a useful level of
             | signal in circumstances where I'm significantly preoccupied
             | with arbitrary suboptimality and don't really have the
             | opportunity to focus for whatever reason.
             | 
             | For what it's worth, I haven't found anything yet. It seems
             | that the be-convinced-in-ones-own-mind problem requires
             | focused consideration by definition.
             | 
             | Just saying.
             | 
             | For my own part, I have this visceral unease that I don't
             | think will go away until I have absolute (end-to-end,
             | closed-loop) confidence in Something.
        
         | amriksohata wrote:
         | Please seek help, suicide is not the answer. Seek help and I
         | pray for you
        
         | animal_spirits wrote:
         | I hope you find the peace in life you are searching for,
         | brother. I love you and wish you success in life.
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | thank you for your kind words
        
         | exikyut wrote:
         | Your comment is currently floating at the top of this thread,
         | creating an awesome opportunity for people to reach out to you
         | privately. You have no contact info in your profile! A
         | throwaway email address could be a consideration. Also, where
         | are you located, roughly, say state-wise or so?
         | 
         | Squinting from a _very_ specific angle, I honestly wonder if a
         | self-defense class could be useful here - not predominantly for
         | the mechanical teaching, but from the fact that ( _if_ you
         | actually have a good teacher) you integrate what you learn on
         | top of a balanced framework of refined self-control /mastery.
         | Opining _very_ naively, I wonder if the meta-control (you can
         | control your emotions (you are capable (you can defend
         | yourself))) you would achieve via what would amount to
         | unorthodox exposure therapy would present enough of an
         | emotional /logical contextual scaffold of what balanced
         | capability basically looks and feels like that you would be
         | able to just drink that in for a bit and then see where you go
         | from there. Ideally you'd smooth out the bumps with competent
         | psychological support, but this could get you <significant>% of
         | the way there.
        
         | jimmygrapes wrote:
         | I can relate to much of this, and will not do you the
         | disservice of trite "thoughts and prayers" or "sorry this
         | happened to you". I will, however, let you know that sometimes
         | it works out despite the pain and misery. You mentioned you're
         | terrified of death yet suicidal; this is completely
         | understandable to me, and I have shared this feeling (still do
         | sometimes) most of my life. It's also what I used to regain
         | what I thought I'd never recover (dignity, self control, and
         | even hope for the future).
         | 
         | What it came down to for me was acknowledging the fear. When
         | the only choice seems like death, and death is too terrifying
         | to even embrace properly, what else in life could be anywhere
         | near as terrifying?
         | 
         | If there is any thing you have not tried for fear of rejection
         | or complication or social exile, now is the time to consider
         | them. When there's no way out, when your back is up against the
         | wall, that is when to fight the hardest.
         | 
         | Good hunting.
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | I am hoping to complete suicide as my next major move.
        
         | nums wrote:
         | Hoffman Process is life changing
        
           | bubblecheck wrote:
           | thanks. it wont cure tinnitus/hyperacusis which has robbed me
           | of my ability to focus on difficult tasks.
        
       | fractallyte wrote:
       | And this article from a couple of weeks ago:
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29920920 [The impact of
       | sexual abuse on female development: a longitudinal study]
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | fractallyte wrote:
       | If anyone has experienced sexual abuse, I _highly recommend_ "The
       | courage to be me", by Dr Nina Burrowes.
       | 
       | It's free to read online: https://ninaburrowes.com/books/the-
       | courage-to-be-me/
       | 
       | ...and available as a physical book.
       | 
       | This wonderful book is sadly underappreciated - please tell
       | everyone about it!
        
       | softwaredoug wrote:
       | Powerful:
       | 
       | > If we know that the roots of violence are fertilized by
       | childhood abuse, can we make a long-term commitment to reduce
       | violence by focusing on our children rather than our criminals?
        
         | treeman79 wrote:
         | https://legalinsurrection.com/2022/01/l-a-da-gascon-allows-a...
        
           | DarylZero wrote:
           | Tubbs will go to the female side of the detention facility,
           | but will remain "in isolation, separated by sight and sound
           | from the other juveniles."
        
           | qwertyuiop_ wrote:
           | "Even though Tubbs is now 26 Gascon refused to transfer the
           | crime to adult court"
           | 
           | I wonder how minds of DAs like Gascon work
        
             | jimmygrapes wrote:
             | Every decision he's made that gets press seems to indicate
             | that his mind is firmly in the realm of "those who commit
             | crimes are the most victimized because of their life
             | circumstances and societal ills" in a Rousseau-esque view
             | of humanity as essentially good until other bad humans make
             | somebody act bad. It's a romantic view that, in my opinion,
             | would only apply if we started humanity from the beginning;
             | it's too late for it, now.
        
             | whatshisface wrote:
             | > _James Tubbs, who committed the crime in 2014 when he was
             | 17_
             | 
             | That's probably what the DA is thinking when making that
             | decision.
        
       | bondarchuk wrote:
       | I always wonder about this re: male genital mutilation. Could it
       | have some long-term psychological impact? Could this be one of
       | the reasons it got selected for (although it remains
       | questionable, I think, whether cultural phenomena really work
       | that way)?
        
         | mikotodomo wrote:
         | I Googled your term and it appears you are just talking about
         | circumcision.
        
           | amanaplanacanal wrote:
           | "Just". I guess that shows how accepted this kind of
           | mutilation is.
        
             | mikotodomo wrote:
        
               | at_a_remove wrote:
               | When it happens to girl babies, it is Female Genital
               | Mutilation. It gets all caps. When it happens to boy
               | babies, it is "just circumcision." Routine. Ignored.
               | 
               | Given that it happens in the first week of your life, and
               | before 1982 _without any kind of even local anesthetic_ ,
               | try to imagine that your first experience of having any
               | attention paid to your genitals, a nerve-rich area if
               | there ever was one, being strapped to a "Circumstraint"
               | board and having a portion of said genitals simply
               | razored off.
               | 
               | Might that result in trauma? It's an interesting question
               | to ask.
        
               | Lammy wrote:
               | It's a violation of bodily autonomy no matter how
               | normalized you may consider it.
        
               | mikotodomo wrote:
               | Yeah just like being born, and getting haircuts.
        
               | dang wrote:
               | Please don't post like this, regardless of how wrong
               | someone else is or you feel they are. I realize it's an
               | emotional, activating topic, but we ban accounts that go
               | after other users this way.
               | 
               | If you wouldn't mind reviewing
               | https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and
               | taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart,
               | we'd be grateful.
        
         | jimmygrapes wrote:
         | I have read a lot of things that suggest yes, but the nature of
         | measurement (or lack of measurement) of things like infant
         | trauma and subsequent effects seems to stymie any workable
         | conclusions. Personally I received the operation long into
         | adulthood, willingly-ish (most effective treatment for a
         | physical issue I was experiencing) so I am familiar with what
         | it's like to both have and not have the extra nerve clusters
         | and skin. I am pleased with the outcome, but I would never
         | suggest it to anybody else unless they made their own choice.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | Terry_Roll wrote:
       | I wonder how this works, when the abuse is portrayed as
       | normalised discipline? Kids dont know what is right or wrong, so
       | if you get punishment, physical and mental and accept it for the
       | result of your actions, how does that work when the kid is an
       | adult and doesnt agree with the way they were brought up, when
       | they look back at their childhood?
       | 
       | I'd say Laws can also cause alot of cognitive dissonance
       | depending on how you were brought up. Another factor not
       | considered is the diet and lifestyle today is different to what
       | it was just 20/30years ago or longer. Those hormonal differences
       | in people will also affect their behaviour and attitudes.
        
         | haswell wrote:
         | As someone who went through exactly this, it fucks you up
         | pretty thoroughly.
         | 
         | Mid 30s and have been seeing a trauma therapist for almost four
         | years now, and don't suspect I'll stop anytime soon.
         | 
         | There is a path to healing, but it's a long and difficult one.
         | 
         | And as another sibling comment pointed out, C-PTSD is the
         | generalized result. Not recommended.
        
         | SamoyedFurFluff wrote:
         | Abuse as a child generally annihilates your understanding of
         | safety, safe places, and safe people before you ever understand
         | that abuse was bad. In fact, growing up not understanding that
         | people in positions of authority (institutional or
         | interpersonal) don't get to just violate you is often one of
         | the problems with people who were abused as children.
        
           | Terry_Roll wrote:
           | I think some cultures are just totally out of whack though,
           | the British Victorian attitude of children should be seen and
           | not heard is just a cover for abuse, and there are people
           | today still using this, I see it frequently on social media,
           | mothers do it alot, its like they want kids but not the
           | hassle. However noone really sits all women down and explain
           | this is how your life will change, you dont see this at
           | school, you dont see this anywhere, and the same goes for
           | blokes. Noone ever sits you down so to speak and say hey,
           | this is the consequences of your actions if you take this
           | path.
           | 
           | As a human race we just keep screwing up making the same
           | mistakes time and time again, which works for corrupt
           | institutions, because we end up having to validate their
           | existence in one form or another.
        
         | giantg2 wrote:
         | "I'd say Laws can also cause alot of cognitive dissonance
         | depending on how you were brought up."
         | 
         | Or after realizing that they are only enforced against some
         | people.
        
           | Terry_Roll wrote:
           | This totally, many Govt employees feel they are above the
           | law. I've seen nurses, teachers, soldiers and police all dish
           | out their own form of justice. I think its a Govt employee
           | mindset, that they are untouchable because they "protect &
           | serve" the country and the population and therefore can do
           | what they like.
        
         | kayodelycaon wrote:
         | I grew up believing my own abuse was normal and that it was my
         | fault I wasn't good enough. By the standards of my community,
         | it wasn't abusive at all. (Spare the rod, spoil the child.)
         | 
         | It fucked me up for a very long time.
         | 
         | It wasn't until I was 34 and 18 months into treatment for
         | bipolar disorder that I discovered where so much of my self-
         | hatred came from.
         | 
         | No one around me knew how damaged I was because I had to hide
         | it to survive.
        
         | nyanpasu64 wrote:
         | You get people who end up on https://www.reddit.com/r/CPTSD/
         | decades later.
        
         | softwaredoug wrote:
         | trauma can come from societal causes, such as laws. See "Is
         | COVID-19 an adverse childhood experience (ACE): Implications
         | for screening for primary care"
         | 
         | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7306718/
        
       | yamrzou wrote:
       | > If we assume that lots of attention, licking, and grooming are
       | the natural state of affairs and that lower levels of attention
       | are a form of neglect, we can use this model to explore some of
       | the biological consequences of neglect or abuse in children. Low
       | rates of maternal attention decrease the production of thyroid
       | hormone by the rat pups. This, in turn, decreases serotonin in
       | the hippocampus and affects the development of receptors for the
       | stress hormone glucocorticoid. Since corticosterone, one of our
       | primary stress hormones, is kept in check by a complicated
       | feedback mechanism that depends on these same stress hormone
       | receptors, their inadequate development increases the risk of an
       | excessive stress hormone response to adversity. For this and
       | certain other reasons, lack of maternal attention predisposes the
       | animals to have a heightened level of fear and a heightened
       | adrenaline response. Some of the consequences of this are altered
       | metabolism and suppressed immune and inflammatory responses,
       | neuronal irritability, and enhanced susceptibility to seizures.
       | 
       | This is consistent with what I've read in the book _Healing
       | Developmental Trauma_ by Laurence Heller and Aline Lapierre:
       | 
       | "When, for a child, this need-satisfaction cycle is significantly
       | interrupted, healthy development is disturbed, and the
       | environmental failure triggers both tension and bracing in the
       | musculature and activation and imbalances in the nervous system
       | and biochemistry--all of which sets the stage for symptoms and
       | disease. When basic needs are not met and the protest to get
       | those needs met is unsuccessful, children come to feel that
       | something is wrong with their needs; they cannot know that it is
       | their environment that is not responding adequately. Therefore,
       | they internalize caregiver failures, experiencing them as their
       | own personal failures. Reacting to their caregivers' failure to
       | meet their needs, children come to feel various degrees of anger,
       | shame, guilt, and physiological collapse. Tragically, to the
       | degree that there is chronic lack of attunement to their core
       | needs, children do not learn to attune to the needs within
       | themselves. When basic needs are consistently left unsatisfied,
       | the need-satisfaction cycle is interrupted, and nervous system
       | dysregulation and identity distortions are set in motion that
       | often have a lifelong negative impact."
        
       | littlefag wrote:
        
       | mikotodomo wrote:
       | I hope internet regulation is improved to stop child sexual abuse
       | online. Things like requiring SMS verification to play a video
       | game are a good first step, but anyone can get a burner number
       | for $5. It should be more tied to a cryptographic government ID
       | in a way that you can register to multiple vendors' games without
       | any of them being able to imitate you. Then we can start to have
       | true accountability for people who say bad things to kids online.
        
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