The age old argument of nature versus nurture should really be laid to rest.

The two sides are not polar opposites, but instead are simply two interconnected parts of the development of human development.

There are many recent studies that have shown how the experiences of early childhood effect the chemical and physical development of the brain. It has been shown in particular how abuse or neglect during childhood can cause permanent alterations to a person’s physiology. These changes in development can lead to a greater propensity of depression and other mental illnesses in later life.

A major US study of women suffering from depression showed that those who had been abused during childhood had unusually high hormonal responses when confronted with stress, as compare to women who did not have childhood abuse. This leads us to believe that a history of abuse is linked to hyperactivity of the hormonal system in connection to stress responses. This may lead to a greater chance of adult psychiatric disorders.

A  study was done at Emory University and overseen by Dr. Charles Nemeroff.

This study compared three groups of women: clinically depressed women with a history of abuse; depressed women who had not been abused; and women with no history of depression or abuse. Each woman was subjected to mildly stressful stimulus and then was required to do simple oral math problems in front of a silent panel of judges.

Two hormones that figure heavily in the body’s stress responses – cortisol and ACTH – were measured while the women performed these tasks. Hormone levels in the women who were depressed and had suffered from abuse were shown to be markedly higher than in the other groups. The ACTH levels in some of the women were as much as six times the level of those found in the other women.

There have also been other studies that focused on brain development of women who had suffered from childhood abuse. These studies found that the hippocampus – a structure of the brain – was often abnormally developed in these women. It suggests that the effects of early childhood abuse can cause abnormalities in the brain that persist into adulthood.

Early neglect or abuse can also affect other structures in the brain.

The brain continues developing through early childhood, and the neuronal pathways may be affected by the way the body reacts to different stimuli.

The first three years of a child’s life, while many of these pathways are forming, are especially critical. If early life sees a majority of negative experiences, the pathways that should be created for forming healthy relationships can be abnormally formed or not created at all. It’s supposed that this is a response that allows a child to survive hardships, but it can also cause difficulties throughout the person’s life.

It’s also been shown that children that have been severely neglected tend to have smaller brains than average, with areas in the cortex being underdeveloped. While scientists are still studying the long term affects of this, it does show one more way in which a lack of nurturing can have long term effects on a person’s psychology.

Knowing that nature and nurture are equally important in the development of mental health is vital in the research and development of psychiatric treatment. This knowledge will hopefully lead to better treatment options for patients.

We believe that there is no real alternative to professional help in depression diagnosis and depression treatment. However, we do suggest the Charles Linden of The Linden Method does provide depression sufferers with a realistic way of finding a solution to the illness. You may wish to examine this Method by CLICKING HERE.