School is Back in Session

By Don Posh

IndiGO 

We may question, I have been out of school for years, so how does this affect me? So much of what we have become can be the result of things we experienced in our school years and even before we started school.

 No one Knows What Goes on Behind Closed Doors is an old song by Charlie Rich. When you think about the title, it is so true. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente, is one of the largest studies to investigate the link between childhood maltreatment and health and well-being later in life.

The study defines ACEs as experiences such as abuse, neglect, and household adversities, including:

•             Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse

•             Physical and emotional neglect

•             Exposure to family violence

•             Parental substance use

•             Parental mental illness

•             Parental separation or divorce

•             Parental incarceration

The study found that people who experienced four or more ACEs had an increased risk for many negative health outcomes, including:

•             Smoking, alcoholism, and drug abuse

•             Depression and suicide attempts

•             Poor self-rated health

•             Sexually transmitted diseases

•             Challenges with physical inactivity and severe obesity

•             Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes

•             Broken bones

 Reading the study really changed my human vision. Thinking back to school days and remembering, someone was extra mean or cruel, withdrawn or unfriendly or someone was sexually active at a very young age. Instead of judging them, I now ask why. Throughout my life I had made judgements when people were behaving out of the range of what would be considered normal, and I used a phrase often used by many of us “if I were them I would.” I have come to realize that I am not them and although we may have experienced similar circumstances, we are all individuals with the baggage we carry. Some of that baggage is heavy. A family secret may be kept all the way to the grave. Can we have a little less judgement and a little more understanding?

Be well…We’re all in this Together!