Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) Manifested in Behavioural and Health Problem

by Tang Poh Yee (Warmy)

                                    

Looking Beyond The Symptoms

We are in a healthcare system that looks at symptoms, instead of roots. Medicines are prescribed to treat the symptoms. However, when the underlying reasons causing many illnesses, both physical and mental, are not properly understood, we face a healthcare system which is overcrowded. When the patients themselves are not aware of what is causing their suffering, they will repeat the process to take various medicines to treat various illnesses, and there is no end.

Have you experienced ACEs?

It is really important to understand illnesses from different perspectives. Our body and soul are intertwined and they affect each other. Prolonged exposure to traumatic experience in the growing up years has its consequence and it manifests in physical and mental illness. Another word to describe this is Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs). There are 10 criteria in ACEs, if a person hits at least 3 out of the 10 criteria, he/she is considered having complex trauma, and it has to be addressed as early as possible to reduce the impact on his/her life.

The 3 types of ACEs include abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. 

The 10 criteria include:

  1. Abuse - Physical abuse

  2. Abuse - Emotional abuse

  3. Abuse - Sexual abuse

  4. Neglect - Physical neglect

  5. Neglect - Emotional neglect

  6. Household Dysfunction – someone in family having Mental Illness

  7. Household Dysfunction – someone in family imprisoned

  8. Household Dysfunction – someone in family having substance abuse

  9. Household Dysfunction – loss of a parent due to death, divorce or abandonment

  10. Household Dysfunction – witness mother being treated violently

Relationship between ACEs and Behavioral/Health Problem

The more ACEs a person experiences, the higher the risk for negative health outcomes he/she has. In terms of behaviour, they may appear as not being motivated in physical activity, smoking, alcoholism, drug use, missed work or other so-called behavioral issues. In terms of physical and mental health, they may suffer from severe obesity, diabetes, depression, suicide attempts, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), broken bones or other health problem. 

What is Behind The Behavioral Problem?

ACEs are actually not that uncommon, and it is especially prevalent in members of dysfunctional families, where the children cannot perform well in schools due to emotional or behavioral problems, and the adults are unable to perform optimally in their job due to unresolved issues crippling their life. Society may view these people as weak, useless and vulnerable if they do not have an understanding of ACEs. 

Hurt People Hurt People, Healed People Help People

Changing your conversation today from “What problem do you have?” to “What happened to you?” can really make a paradigm shift. Compassion and understanding is the first step to soften the impact of ACEs to these people. Not everyone has the privilege to come from loving families and a safe family environment. We should not just judge them or look down on them simply because they are not as fortunate as us. If you do experience love yourself in your growing up years, why don’t you let that love overflow from you to those who are suffering? If you are unable to do this, perhaps you have also experienced trauma yourself and you need healing. Get healed yourself first so that you do not continue to hurt yourself and others around you.

Do contact us at warmy2017@gmail.com if you want to talk further about this.

#TraumaInformedCare#ComplexTrauma#ACEs#MentalHealth#MOJOKitabySM#SuaraMasyarakat#CommunityVoices

This MOJO content was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, Internews,or SOLS 247 or NGOhub.

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