Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris took to the TEDMED stage back in September to discuss the extreme health ramifications that come with childhood trauma.
Whether it’s the stress of abuse, neglect or growing up with parents who struggle with substance abuse or mental health issues, the effects on children are substantial and show up drastically later in life. These are things that “literally get under our skin and change our physiology,” Harris says.
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As she points out in her talk, which was added to the ted.com site this month, adults who experienced trauma as a child have three times the risk for heart disease and lung cancer, and their life expectancy is up to 20 years less than those who did not experience trauma.
The goal of Harris’ talk is to highlight how serious this issue is and to recognize that the outcomes are not inevitable. Preventing and treating trauma in children should be a higher priority for pediatric medicine, not just social services or mental health professionals.
By spreading the word about these shocking statistics and what Harris calls a public health crisis, hopefully effective, structured programs and better training practices for pediatricians can be put in place.