Episode 204: Long-Term Effects of Child Abuse (with Kate Russell)

Research has long shown that child abuse and neglect can and often do lead to a wide range of negative effects on a person’s life, including mental, physical, and behavioral problems. This kind of treatment during childhood causes stress that alters the way the child’s brain develops, affects gene expression, and changes the body’s stress response system. Kate Russell is the author of three memoirs about her life, describing her painful experiences in detail, from living with a schizoaffective sister to suffering addiction and subsequently recovering. Her most recent book, Ironing Out My Life: Child Abuse and How It Affected Everything Thereafter, is the third in the series and tells the story of her parents’ upbringing, then hers, and the impact their abusive behavior had on her life.Kate is a strong, intelligent, highly resilient survivor, and it was my honor to speak with her for this episode. Links related to this episode:Kate Russell’s website: https://www.katerussellauthor.com/ Portrait of a Dysfunctional Family series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPY4BFCYDown the Rabbit Hole: A Memoir of Abuse, Addiction, and Recovery (first book): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08785R8S6Voicemails from My Sister: Stories of a Schizoaffective Sibling (second book): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099Y8HF5QIroning Out My Life: Child Abuse and How It Affected Everything Thereafter (third book): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DPM92KW9 Cover photo by Zhivko Minkov on Unsplash.Photos related to today's episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod You can also follow the podcast on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@STLCpodMy Linktree is available here: https://linktr.ee/stlcpod Visit the podcast's web page at https://www.sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com. By supporting me on Patreon, you'll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive rewards. Visit www.patreon.com/STLCpod. You can also support the podcast on www.Ko-Fi.com/STLCpod. **New! Become a member of my YouTube channel for perks, ranging from a shout-out, members-only chat emoji, and loyalty badges to other rewards. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCogRWoIzWMy7TX5PuX18smQ/join Join my Spreaker Supporters' Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children--4232884/support This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.Music for this episode is licensed from https://audiojungle.net. Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/id1499010711Google Podcasts: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I5mx3lacxpdkhssmk2n22csf32u?t%3DSuffer_the_Little_Children%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/suffer-the-little-children Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/PC:61848?part=PC:61848&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC61848:podcast_organic_external_siteSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w98Tpd3710BZ0u036T1KEiHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/77891101/ ...or on your favorite podcast listening platform.If you see something, say something. https://childhelp.org