Life After Child Abuse: HealthyPlace Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• The Impact of Child Abuse
• "Life After Child Abuse" On HealthyPlace TV
• More Information on Child Abuse
• Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships
• Living with a Mental Illness

The Impact of Child Abuse

Most people don't talk about it; being an adult survivor of child abuse, that is. There are millions of adults walking around today who are victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional and psychological abuse that started when they were young children.

Child abuse already is known to increase the risk of suicide. And a new Mayo Clinic study indicates that a history of child abuse not only can lead to depression, substance abuse and personality disorders, but child abuse makes most psychiatric illnesses worse," according to Magdalena Romanowicz, M.D., lead author of the study.

We'll be exploring that more on tonight's HealthyPlace TV show.

"Life After Child Abuse" On HealthyPlace TV

For 21 years, Diane Champe was isolated by her parents and mentally, physically, emotionally and sexually abused. "I was so brutally traumatized that I was covered from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet with hives and the pupils in my eyes were usually dilated."  Diane is now 58 and has been through 23 years of therapy, 5 psychiatric hospitalizations, a divorce, a lawsuit against the company that fired her and after all that, she says "I'm a winner."  She'll be here to share her story about the impact child abuse had on her and how she came out on top.

In the second half of the show, you get to ask Dr. Harry Croft, your personal mental health questions. 

Also in June on HealthyPlace TV

• Your Child's Mental Health: What Every Parent Should Know
• OCD! I Can't Stop

More Information on Child Abuse

• Signs of Physical, Sexual, Emotional Abuse and Neglect in Children
• Effects of Child Abuse on Children
• How Does Physical Abuse Impact A Child?
• Impact of Psychological Abuse on Children's Mental Health and Emotional Well-being
• The Effects of Child Sexual Abuse on Children
• Adults Sexually Abused as Children (Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse)
• Common Symptoms in Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
• The Damage Caused by Sexual Abuse
• My Story of Child Abuse
• A Letter to My Father
• What to Do If You Suspect Child Abuse or Child Maltreatment
• Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse
• Hotlines for Reporting Child Abuse

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships

"Being in an unhealthy relationship stinks," writes Suzi, a new visitor to the HealthyPlace.com website. In her email, she discusses her predicament of being stuck with all the household chores, always being put down, yet she says "I find it difficult to leave him."

Sometimes though, the difference between a healthy and unhealthy relationship isn't as clear cut as Suzi's situation.

• What is a Healthy Relationship?
• What Constitutes an Unhealthy Relationship?

Unhealthy relationships leave us feeling afraid, sad, or just plain uncomfortable about our situation.

• The Impact of Being in an Unhealthy Relationship

So what can you do to when you're in an unhealthy or abusive relationship?

• What to Do About an Unhealthy Relationship
• Abusive Relationships and How to Deal with Them

And how do you create healthy relationships?

• Recognizing Unhealthy Relationships and Creating Healthy Ones
• Building a Healthy Relationship
• Tips on How to Have Healthy Relationships
• How to Build Better Relationships
• Secrets to a Lasting Relationship
• Discovering the Keys to a Successful Marriage or Relationship

We have a lot of great articles on relationships. You can also visit the HealthyPlace Relationships Community homepage for information on various relationship problems, tools for building relationships, relationship videos and more.

Living with a Mental Illness

For some, living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD or other mental illness is extremely rough. But, others somehow manage to survive and thrive. How is that?

• Adapting to Living with a Psychological Disorder
• Advocating for Yourself: A Self-Help Guide

Having a family member with a mental illness can also be extremely wearing.

• Coming to Terms with a Family Member's Mental Illness
• How to Cope With A Loved One's Mental Illness