Countless people live with the lingering effects of childhood neglect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least one in seven children experience child abuse or neglect. The effects of this neglect are especially egregious because it occurs during childhood. This is a time when the brain rapidly develops. We spend this time learning how to be healthy individuals by observing the adults around us. The actions these adults take on us as children can ripple through generations. Sometimes, it will begin a cycle of abuse.
Raising awareness about childhood neglect is one way to help those who currently struggle with it. Another is to inform those who do struggle with it that help is possible. At treatment facilities such as Driftwood Recovery, clients can find the treatment and understanding needed to heal their inner child. As childhood neglect can be the source of many conditions, clients will have access to the individualized treatment needed to recover.
To know the effects of neglect, we must first define what that means.
What Is Childhood Neglect?
Though childhood neglect is abusive, it is considered distinct from child abuse. Childhood neglect is defined as a form of maltreatment in which a caregiver fails to meet a child’s physical and emotional needs. Children need validation, attention, and emotional support to grow into healthy adults. They also require food, shelter, and other basic physical needs.
Neglected children often grow up to have life-long conditions or choose any company that will give them the attention and validation they crave. This leaves them vulnerable to problems like addiction or being taken advantage of. Sometimes, these adults may have grown up believing that the neglect they experienced is normal. To have your emotional and physical needs met is a basic human right. The belief that you deserve these things can be difficult if you are taught that you don’t matter.
Some common examples of childhood neglect include:
- Lack of or inadequate attention
- Ignoring or dismissing feelings
- Lack of emotional availability and connection
- Absence of affection
- Lack of encouragement and validation
- Inability to provide basic physical needs, such as food, shelter, education, and medical care
The Effect of Childhood Neglect on Mental Health
Childhood neglect has a severe effect on how a person emotionally and physically develops. One such problem facing such children is toxic stress. This is when a child experiences a negative developmental trajectory due to constant and persistent stress. Toxic stress can play a significant role in stunting brain, immune, and cardiovascular development. Children living with childhood neglect often struggle with learning, attention, and memory difficulties, which can persist into their adult lives.
Adults who grew up with childhood neglect often deal with a wide range of conditions. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) is one such condition. They may also struggle with lingering depression, guilt, and, in some cases, addiction. It’s also quite common for adults who lived with childhood neglect to feel emotionally stunted. They may have difficulties controlling “big” emotions or may be driven to seek validation in unhealthy ways. It’s not uncommon for these adults to have to spend their formative young-adult years learning the emotional regulation they should have learned as children.
It is also quite common for those living with the weight of childhood neglect to feel alone and isolated. This is a subject that is often not spoken about, making many feel as though their experiences were isolated. It can make forming healthy relationships difficult, leaving many vulnerable to toxic relationships.
Despite everything, anyone can recover from this level of neglect. They only need to recognize that they need help, and then reach out for it.
Finding Treatment and Support
At Driftwood Recovery, it’s strongly believed that anyone can be helped. With the right support, quality treatment, self-drive, and time, anyone can recover from what is causing them pain. By focusing on compassionate and supportive treatment, clients everywhere can access the tools they need to change their lives. Perhaps the most important aspect of treatment is peer support, which lets individuals know that they aren’t alone in their struggle.
Specifically, those struggling with childhood neglect find relief through psychotherapy. Also known as “talk” therapy, this therapy allows clients to change unhealthy habits and gain a healthy mindset. Clients also benefit from trauma-based therapy. This therapy is designed to treat lingering trauma and help clients work through their pain. Those afraid of becoming re-traumatized can rely on therapies such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to help them process their past without being overwhelmed by it.
The important thing is to realize that neglect is not normal. If you grew up in an environment where your emotional and physical needs were ignored, you were neglected. Neglect is never the fault of the child, and every child deserves to grow up nurtured and validated. If you feel as though you were neglected as a child, it is always okay to speak to a mental health care professional. They are specially trained to assist you in finding the help you need to become a healthier adult.
With the Internet being more commonplace, it’s now easier than ever to find support for survivors of childhood neglect. Sometimes, knowing that you aren’t alone is enough of an encouragement to seek help. Childhood neglect may leave lasting scars, but healing is always possible. The child within deserves to heal, as well as the adult that they have become.
Childhood neglect negatively impacts the way a person mentally and emotionally develops. It causes trauma, stunts emotional development, and causes lifetime feelings of sadness and pain. However, these effects don’t have to last forever, especially when professional help is available. Here at Driftwood Recovery in Driftwood and Austin, Texas, clients find the treatment they need to recover from childhood neglect. With a staff of caring mental health care professionals, there is no need to fear treatment. Everyone can find the support, encouragement, and healing needed to overcome their pain at Driftwood Recovery. If you or a loved one is struggling with the effects of childhood neglect, don’t wait to seek help. Call Driftwood Recovery today at (512) 759-8330.