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The Role of Trauma in Suicidal Behavior [traumainformedoregon.org]

 

National Suicide Prevention Week was September 10th to the 16th. As a child and family therapist, supervisor, and person who works on planning, designing, implementing, and administering child and family service programs, I thought a lot this year about the role trauma plays in relation to suicidal behavior in children, adolescents, and adults.

It has been determined events that impact development, such as childhood trauma, can sharply increase suicidal risk. The idea that the primary factor of impulsivity as a factor in suicidal behavior in adolescents and adults has been discounted. Although impulsivity may be a factor, the impulsivity in suicidal behavior is more likely related to brain wiring as related to coping with childhood trauma, stress, and neglect. It is also well documented that childhood trauma has a strong relationship with mental disorders and substance abuse, which also increase the risk for suicide. There is increased research focusing on determining the neuropsychosocial relationship between childhood trauma and suicidal behavior. Trauma can have significant impact on the brain’s ability to process stress responses and can lead to increased vulnerability around other developmental challenges and life events. Childhood trauma affects the ability to manage negative emotions and to stay optimistic (Cohen, 2016). There is a field called developmental traumatology, which combines knowledge from developmental neuroscience, developmental psychopathology, biology, stress, and trauma research. Much of this research is presented through the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).

[For more on this story by Terry Ellis, go to https://traumainformedoregon.o...a-suicidal-behavior/]

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