Did you know “adverse childhood experiences” (otherwise known as “ACEs”), are connected to later life suicide. According to the CDC, the following potentially traumatic childhood experiences are connected to many life threatening health risks:

experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect

witnessing violence in the home or community

having a family member attempt or die by suicide

substance use problems

mental health problems

instability due to parental separation

household members being in jail or prison

About 61% of adults surveyed have experienced at least one type of ACE. The more ACEs a child experiences, the more likely they will have later life consequences like “injury, sexually transmitted infections, maternal and child health problems (including teen pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and fetal death), involvement in sex trafficking, and a wide range of chronic diseases and leading causes of death such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and suicide.” ACEs are what are known as “social determinants of health” and cause toxic stress in young people that impact their ability to pay attention, make decisions and form stable relationships.

The Good News

The strongest buffer for kids is a relationship with at least one loving, caring, responsive adult - a family member, a teacher, a coach, a mentor.

Having a source of reliable nurturing protects them from further harm and helps them develop self-regulation skills. In addition a healthy child-adult relationship gives them a sense of safety in the storm and a glimmer of hope for things to come.

In this episode I speak with Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Kimberly O’Brien about how our youth can feel “emotionally naked” and how caring adults can help provide does of support that fuel resilience and self-esteem, and ultimately prevent suicide.

About Kimberly Hayes McManama O’Brien, Ph.D., LICSW

Kimberly O’Brien, PhD, LICSW is a Clinical Social Worker in the Sports Medicine Division and Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as a Research Scientist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

She is also the co-author of Emotionally Naked: A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk with Anne Moss Rogers.

Her research focuses on the development and testing of brief interventions for suicidal adolescents with and without substance use and their families, with an additional specialization on interventions which utilize technology. She has co-authored over 50 articles and book chapters related to adolescent suicide, substance use, and mental health, and was awarded the Young Investigator Research Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in 2019.

She recently started her own private mental health practice, Unlimited Resilience, LLC, which was designed for athletes by athletes.

For more information on this episode go tp https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/102