Childhood Abuse Associated With Onset Of Psychosis In Women

ScienceDaily (Apr. 5, 2009) — Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London have published new research which indicates that women with severe mental illness are more likely to have been abused in childhood that the general population. But the same association has not been found in men....Those in the first group had experienced psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions and received treatment for depression, mania or schizophrenia. Those in the second group had no mental health problems, and acted as a control sample. Both groups were asked whether they experienced physical or sexual abuse during their childhood. Women with psychosis were twice as likely to report either physical or sexual abuse compared to healthy women. But no such association was found in men. The researchers suggest that one explanation for this is that girls are more likely to 'internalise' difficulties than boys. In other words, girls who are abused may distance themselves from other people, and become overly suspicious of other people's behaviour. This may put them at greater risk of psychotic symptoms in the future, such as paranoid delusions. In contrast, boys may be more likely to 'act out' following physical abuse and potentially be at greater risk for antisocial behaviour. The lead author on this paper, Helen Fisher, Researcher in Psychosis at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's said: "These findings do not mean that if a child is abused they will develop psychosis; but women with such disorders are more likely to reveal a background which included childhood abuse. Journal reference: Fisher et al. Gender differences in the association between childhood abuse and psychosis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009; 194 (4): 319 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.047985 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331201524.htm