Psychological Effects Of Child Abuse Essay
Introduction
A long-term study by Silverman, Reinherz, & Giaconia (1996) has indicated that “as many as 80 percent of young adults who had been abused met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder at age 21” (Child Welfare Information Gateway). There are many long-term problems that stem from abuse as children, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and attempts at suicide, but this Extended Essay will investigate only the three most prominent, long-term psychological effects of child abuse, focusing specifically on the types of abuse that may lead to the following disorders: dissociation, multiple-personality disorder (as well as borderline personality disorder), and post-traumatic stress disorder. Abuse is herewith defined as a methodic …show more content…
For example, the child personality serves as to buffer the traumatic experience, whereas the helper personality works toward a healthy goal by providing advice or insight during therapy, the persecutor personality harms and inflicts punishment upon the patient, and the memory personality provides an underlying record of memories and maintains conscious awareness despite amnesia that may be present in other personalities (Gil, 151). In the experience of John Briere, PhD., as he mentions on page 36 of his book Therapy for Adults Molested as Children, “[Borderline Personality Disorder] is perhaps the most common label attached to individuals who present with severe post-sexual-abuse trauma in psychiatric settings”. Borderline Personality Disorder is defined in the DSM-IV as a chronic disturbance exhibiting “a pervasive pattern of instability of self-image, interpersonal relationship, and mood, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts” (American Psychicatric
A long-term study by Silverman, Reinherz, & Giaconia (1996) has indicated that “as many as 80 percent of young adults who had been abused met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder at age 21” (Child Welfare Information Gateway). There are many long-term problems that stem from abuse as children, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and attempts at suicide, but this Extended Essay will investigate only the three most prominent, long-term psychological effects of child abuse, focusing specifically on the types of abuse that may lead to the following disorders: dissociation, multiple-personality disorder (as well as borderline personality disorder), and post-traumatic stress disorder. Abuse is herewith defined as a methodic …show more content…
For example, the child personality serves as to buffer the traumatic experience, whereas the helper personality works toward a healthy goal by providing advice or insight during therapy, the persecutor personality harms and inflicts punishment upon the patient, and the memory personality provides an underlying record of memories and maintains conscious awareness despite amnesia that may be present in other personalities (Gil, 151). In the experience of John Briere, PhD., as he mentions on page 36 of his book Therapy for Adults Molested as Children, “[Borderline Personality Disorder] is perhaps the most common label attached to individuals who present with severe post-sexual-abuse trauma in psychiatric settings”. Borderline Personality Disorder is defined in the DSM-IV as a chronic disturbance exhibiting “a pervasive pattern of instability of self-image, interpersonal relationship, and mood, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts” (American Psychicatric