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Gallagher, J. (2011, August 14). Persistent depression risk 'doubles' in abused children. //BBC News//. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14503479

1. Childhood abuse doubles the risk of developing multiple and long lasting episodes of depression, say scientists.

2. Nearly one in twenty people in the UK has this form of depression as a result of childhood abuse.

3. Depression in some form can affect one in five people at some point in their lives.

4. They reviewed 16 studies, on a total of more than 23,000 patients, and found that maltreatment in childhood- such as rejection by the mother, harsh physical treatment or sexual abuse - more than doubled the risk of this type of depression.

5. One of the researchers, Dr. Rudolf Uher, said: "If these things happen earlier in life, it is more powerful."

6. In the UK, 16% of people develop persistent depression by the age of 33. A quarter of them (4% of the whole UK population) were maltreated as children.

7. A separate review on 3, 098 people showed childhood maltreatment was also linked to a poorer response to both drug and psychological treatment.

 8. Their report suggest "early preventative and therapeutic interventions may be more effective."   9. Childhood maltreatment, it is thought, causes changes to the brain, immune system, and some hormone glands.   10. Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said: "It may seems obvious that traumatic events in our lives can make us depressed, but this study highlights how particularly damaging such traumas can be when experienced during childhood, when our brains are still developing.   11. "... abuse and neglect creates a painful legacy that can last a lifetime, increasing our chances of experiencing repeated episodes of depression and reducing the effects of those treatments available to us."    12. 27% of people in the study were 'probable maltreatment'; of these, 19.7% developed persistent depression.  <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 13. 9% had definite maltreatment; of these 31.5% developed persistent depression. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 14. 64% had no maltreatment; of these, 12.5% developed persistent depression. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 15. "Even for combined treatments, patients with a history of childhood maltreatment cannot be adequately cared for."