When someone leaves an abusive environment, it’s common for those around them to assume their problems will lessen. If you leave an undesirable situation for something better, you should in turn feel better… right? The harsh reality is that trauma can follow you. This doesn’t mean a survivor chooses to allow trauma to linger, but more so that the events they underwent had a direct impact on their developmental arc. Extensive research into the future health consequences of child maltreatment has continuously shown a close association to mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and other mental health conditions. The first step in understanding the health consequences of child maltreatment (CM) is recognizing what it encompasses. Emotional neglect, emotional abuse, physical neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse are all considered different forms of CM. Often overlooked are non-physical forms of abuse such as what fall under the concept of psychological abuse.  Though not spoken of nearly enough, psychological abuse has been documented as one of the most prevalent forms of child abuse. It has been known to be developmentally damaging, and can bring about negative features such as helplessness, aggression, emotional unresponsiveness and neuroticism (Rizvi and Najam, 2014). Before we go more in depth, let’s take a look at some facts about CM in general. According to the World Health Organization, about 3 in 4 children between the ages of 2-4 regularly suffer through physical and psychological violence. In addition, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report being sexually abused between the ages of 0-17. The World Health Organization notes that consequences of CM can include impairments mentally and physically as well. Not only that, but they mention that the social and occupational outcomes that stem from CM can even slow a country’s economic and social development. The effects of this type of abuse extend far beyond the perceived average scope that society itself faces the long-term repercussions. With that being said, consider how impactful this type of behavior can be to one person, especially a child whose brain is still developing.   Mental Illness Symptoms and Childhood Adversity Mental illness does not have one extreme. There is no formula to how mental illness manifests itself through a survivor of any form of abuse. The outcomes that come from wrongful childhood treatment are individual and can shift depending on the person. Even two people who experience similar instances of CM can have two entirely different mental health outcomes. Analyzing the relationship between mental health complexities and childhood adversity produces better insight into mental illness and its individuality.    Depression, Anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder Early childhood adversity may make someone more prone to depressive behavior and overall mood disorders. In fact, there has been a definitive link found between CM and major depressive disorder. If you weren’t already aware, the experience of any form of child abuse more than doubles the risk of developing a depressive disorder (Klumparendt and Nelson et al, 2019). A research article published by BMC Psychiatry ran a study aimed to find the relationship between CM and major depressive disorder. 1,027 participants between the ages of 18-65 with no bipolar or psychotic symptoms completed a childhood trauma questionnaire including a self-report questionnaire that analyzed four different mediators used to account for the association between the two. These included emotional regulation, attachment, attribution style, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Klumparendt and Nelson et al, 2019).  The sample results published by BMC Psychiatry provided a plethora of findings. 16.3% of participants met criteria for experiencing a current major depressive episode. A whopping 48.8% of participants were suffering from mild to severe depressive symptoms, and 12.2% scored above the cut-off value for showing potential indicators of post-traumatic stress disorder. After looking at these statistics, it was unsurprising to find that nearly half of the entire sample (48.7%) reported at least one former episode of a depressive disorder (Klumpared and Nelson et al, 2019).  BMC Psychiatry later published a study that was more focused on social anxiety in adulthood from those who have experienced a form of CM. The reason behind the analysis was to see how evident social anxiety was in abuse survivors, and to examine how common other mental disorders were among the sample. 1,091 participants who were all treatment seeking outpatients were assessed with a childhood trauma questionnaire as well as a questionnaire on stressful social experiences. The study found that patients with social anxiety and depression reported significantly more severe cases of emotional abuse in their questionnaires. Second most common was physical abuse followed by sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and lastly victimization from their peers. The effects of CM were proven to extend past social anxiety, and indicated potential in bringing about varying types of anxiety and other depressive disorders overall (Bruhl and Kley et al, 2019).  Yet another mental health outcome that can be seen in suvivors of child abuse is manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder. Although bipolar disorder is a known mental illness that can severely affect one’s mood, many people are not aware of the link between manic depression and childhood adversity. To get a firmer grasp on the significance of these adverse experiences and bipolar disorder it’s essential to understand how it can present itself. The International Journal of Bipolar Disorders published an article in 2020 on a project conducted at the clinic of the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany. The study lasted 2 years and consisted of 48 men and 86 women with the average age being 24 years old. The study utilized self report scales and assessments such as the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI) which is a 21 item assessment for the severity of depression, the Hypomania Checklist 32 (HCL) which is intended to serve as a measurement for hypomanic symptoms, a three part questionnaire that had the participants recall memories of CM, the Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM) where respondents were asked to complete a five item scale ranging from 0-4, and the Bochumer