Childhood maltreatment responsible for one in five Aussie mental health disorders: study

Nearly half of all suicide attempts can be directly attributed to child abuse and neglect, researchers report in an Australian-first study.
The University of Sydney–led team also found that childhood maltreatment accounted for a third of self-harm incidents and one in five depression cases.
“For perspective, tobacco smoking accounts for 24% of cancers in US men, and hypertension accounts for 23% of MIs globally,” they wrote in JAMA Psychiatry.
Melbourne GP and psychotherapist Dr Cathy Andronis, who was not involved in the study, said the results — while “not surprising at all” — highlighted the urgency to act to prevent child abuse and neglect.