If I Was Neglected Or Abused As A Child, Is It More Likely That I Will Become Depressed Later In Life?

— -- Question: If I was neglected or abused as a child, is it more likely that I will become depressed later in life?

Answer: For the past 25 years, my research group has been studying the relationship between early life trauma, in the form of child abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect and risk for psychiatric disorder in adulthood. There are now more than 100 studies that have shown that one of the major risk factors for depression in adulthood is in fact prepubertal exposure to child abuse and neglect, particularly physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional neglect.

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