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Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease
The first years of human life are more important than we ever realized. In Scared Sick , Robin Karr-Morse connects psychology, neurobiology, endocrinology, immunology, and genetics to demonstrate how chronic fear in infancy and early childhood -- when we are most helpless -- lies at the root of common diseases in adulthood.
Compassionate and based on the latest research, Scared Sick will unveil a major public health crisis. Highlighting case studies and cutting-edge scientific findings, Karr- Morse shows how our innate fight-or-flight system can injure us if overworked in the early stages of life. Persistent stress can trigger diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, and addiction later on.
Compassionate and based on the latest research, Scared Sick will unveil a major public health crisis. Highlighting case studies and cutting-edge scientific findings, Karr- Morse shows how our innate fight-or-flight system can injure us if overworked in the early stages of life. Persistent stress can trigger diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, and addiction later on.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 2012
71 people are currently reading
880 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 14, 2012
As a therapist/traumatologist I was very interested in finding a book that explained the connecting between early life trauma and the physical illnesses I was noticing in my clients hitting middle age. Also, as a member of my area's Trauma Institute, I was interested in fining a speaker on this topic to come to our annual conference. So I was very excited to learn about this work and to have the author come to speak to our members and local community of helpers. Overall I was able to cull some very interesting and useful information from the book about the physiological changes that occur when one experiences trauma. What I thought was less than helpful about this book is its singular focus on how woman are responsible and to blame for any difficulty a fetus or child experiences that translate to trauma and certain ill health by middle age. Wildly extrapolating from animal studies the authors seem to be saying that Mothers (apparently not fathers) who do things like go back to work before a child is 4 1/2 years old cause trauma equal to abuse on their kids who will die young after horrible illnesses. There's about 100 pages of anti feminist writing in here which for me greatly detracted from the overall message and usefulness of this book.
March 22, 2013
I found this book a very good compilation of research informed by some of the new neurosciences, epigenetics and population research. There is a great deal to be gleaned from a careful reading of it. One quibble I have is the number of references that cite a telephone conversations that the author(s) had with some noted researchers. That is pretty weak, but there are many other useful sources in the notes pages.
Begins with a deeply concerning picture of the ‘health’ of the American population which has one of the shortest life expectancies of any industrialized nation; twenty-six percent of adults over eighteen suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder; among the seven largest industrialized nations in the world, the U> ranks last on infant mortality rates and longevity; the well-being of American children ranks twentieth among twenty-one rich democracies, behind Poland, Greece and Hungary;; one in one hundred infants each year is born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder )FASC), the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects in the Western world and a leading known cause of learning disabilities; more children have FASD than are affected by autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida and sudden infant death syndrome combined.
Addiction transfer (switching from overeating to another substance such as alcohol or drugs) is common in people who have had gastric bypass surgery ranging from 5 to 30%. P5. Obese people, alcoholics and drug addicts have in common below average levels of dopamine. Quoting Gabor Mate: “..the susceptible people are the ones with these impaired brain circuits [below average dopamine levels] and the impairment is caused by early adversity, rather than by genetics.” P6.
Symptoms as solutions to bigger, deeper problems. “Obesity was key to their sense of self-protection.|” quoting Kaiser Permanente study p7. Use of coping substances such as alcohol, nicotine and drugs can also be viewed as attempts to find a solution to deep problems and then, in turn, they become the intermediate variables for health problems. Even people with high ACE scores but no other risk factors had a 30-70% higher risk of ischemic heart disease in adulthood. The picture that emerged was that substances such as alcohol, nicotine and drugs are addictive more because of adverse early childhood experiences and less due to intrinsic addictivity. Use of them is attempt at healing. ”The research on an extensive list of disease traditionally thought to be genetically driven is now being reconsidered in the light of the ACE findings, which point to a new understanding of these diseases as the result of a rich interaction among genetics, physiology and experience.” P 14.
The authors use slightly different definitions of trauma in the book and it is important to understand how they use the term. “Although child abuse and neglect are obvious forms of trauma, we are learning that it doesn’t take either to constitute trauma for a very young human. For a baby or young child, emotional trauma may not look like the catastrophes we typically connect with the word trauma. In fact , most trauma in early childhood-from the First World to the Third World-is accidental, and its major cause is ignorance.”p95 “Recall Annie Rogers’s definition of trauma as ‘any experience which by its nature is in excess of what we can manage or bear.’”p97 and “Lieberman defines trauma as anything that results in the disruption of the ‘secure base’-essentially any experience that seriously disrupts the physical and emotional balance and security provided by the child’s primary relationship with an adult, typically the mother.”p103.
Infants and children younger than 2 are especially vulnerable because of the early development of the nervous system. The book is very useful in clearly summarizing the recent literature on neurological development. Traumas that occur in these early years are essentially encoded into the nervous system and physical body. These ‘memories’ are not accessible through language since they were laid down prior to the acquisition of language. In a sense they form the body’s unconscious. They are important because they influence later development and susceptibility to a myriad of illnesses. Healthy early attachment is essential to the development of normal physiological regulation as well as emotional regulation.
Newer findings in the area of epigenetics suggest ways in which some traits pass from generation to generation. In one study carried out in the Netherlands, it was found that girls born during the famine in that area in 1944 who were malnourished in utero during the first trimester of pregnancy were born normal in size, but as adults were likely to give birth to smaller than average babies. “Subsequent research has revealed that girls born small for their size typically have smaller uteruses, which in turn constrain the growth of the next generation of babies.”p159
Given the above fairly broad definition of trauma it is clear that everyone suffers some forms of trauma every day [I was certainly traumatized by the cold this morning]. What is important to add is that the ability to suffer trauma without adverse effects lies in healthy physiological and emotional regulatory systems. Before these develop the infant and child are highly vulnerable. “While many diseases, including several forms of cancer, resulting from the interaction of our physiology with negative factors in our environments, the converse is also true: health and healing are imparted from constructive environments, particularly relational experiences in early life.” “The theory is that disease results from the conjunction of individual susceptibility with external threat, and that health results from the match between one’s needs and vulnerabilities and what the environment provides. This strand of research looks closely at ‘reactive’ individuals, whose who are the most susceptible to disease and morbidity. Rather than being a genetic rarity, the individuals who are at highest risk of illness and death from the interaction of biological sensitivities with environmental risks are typically 15 to 20 percent of any given population.”
Begins with a deeply concerning picture of the ‘health’ of the American population which has one of the shortest life expectancies of any industrialized nation; twenty-six percent of adults over eighteen suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder; among the seven largest industrialized nations in the world, the U> ranks last on infant mortality rates and longevity; the well-being of American children ranks twentieth among twenty-one rich democracies, behind Poland, Greece and Hungary;; one in one hundred infants each year is born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder )FASC), the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects in the Western world and a leading known cause of learning disabilities; more children have FASD than are affected by autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida and sudden infant death syndrome combined.
Addiction transfer (switching from overeating to another substance such as alcohol or drugs) is common in people who have had gastric bypass surgery ranging from 5 to 30%. P5. Obese people, alcoholics and drug addicts have in common below average levels of dopamine. Quoting Gabor Mate: “..the susceptible people are the ones with these impaired brain circuits [below average dopamine levels] and the impairment is caused by early adversity, rather than by genetics.” P6.
Symptoms as solutions to bigger, deeper problems. “Obesity was key to their sense of self-protection.|” quoting Kaiser Permanente study p7. Use of coping substances such as alcohol, nicotine and drugs can also be viewed as attempts to find a solution to deep problems and then, in turn, they become the intermediate variables for health problems. Even people with high ACE scores but no other risk factors had a 30-70% higher risk of ischemic heart disease in adulthood. The picture that emerged was that substances such as alcohol, nicotine and drugs are addictive more because of adverse early childhood experiences and less due to intrinsic addictivity. Use of them is attempt at healing. ”The research on an extensive list of disease traditionally thought to be genetically driven is now being reconsidered in the light of the ACE findings, which point to a new understanding of these diseases as the result of a rich interaction among genetics, physiology and experience.” P 14.
The authors use slightly different definitions of trauma in the book and it is important to understand how they use the term. “Although child abuse and neglect are obvious forms of trauma, we are learning that it doesn’t take either to constitute trauma for a very young human. For a baby or young child, emotional trauma may not look like the catastrophes we typically connect with the word trauma. In fact , most trauma in early childhood-from the First World to the Third World-is accidental, and its major cause is ignorance.”p95 “Recall Annie Rogers’s definition of trauma as ‘any experience which by its nature is in excess of what we can manage or bear.’”p97 and “Lieberman defines trauma as anything that results in the disruption of the ‘secure base’-essentially any experience that seriously disrupts the physical and emotional balance and security provided by the child’s primary relationship with an adult, typically the mother.”p103.
Infants and children younger than 2 are especially vulnerable because of the early development of the nervous system. The book is very useful in clearly summarizing the recent literature on neurological development. Traumas that occur in these early years are essentially encoded into the nervous system and physical body. These ‘memories’ are not accessible through language since they were laid down prior to the acquisition of language. In a sense they form the body’s unconscious. They are important because they influence later development and susceptibility to a myriad of illnesses. Healthy early attachment is essential to the development of normal physiological regulation as well as emotional regulation.
Newer findings in the area of epigenetics suggest ways in which some traits pass from generation to generation. In one study carried out in the Netherlands, it was found that girls born during the famine in that area in 1944 who were malnourished in utero during the first trimester of pregnancy were born normal in size, but as adults were likely to give birth to smaller than average babies. “Subsequent research has revealed that girls born small for their size typically have smaller uteruses, which in turn constrain the growth of the next generation of babies.”p159
Given the above fairly broad definition of trauma it is clear that everyone suffers some forms of trauma every day [I was certainly traumatized by the cold this morning]. What is important to add is that the ability to suffer trauma without adverse effects lies in healthy physiological and emotional regulatory systems. Before these develop the infant and child are highly vulnerable. “While many diseases, including several forms of cancer, resulting from the interaction of our physiology with negative factors in our environments, the converse is also true: health and healing are imparted from constructive environments, particularly relational experiences in early life.” “The theory is that disease results from the conjunction of individual susceptibility with external threat, and that health results from the match between one’s needs and vulnerabilities and what the environment provides. This strand of research looks closely at ‘reactive’ individuals, whose who are the most susceptible to disease and morbidity. Rather than being a genetic rarity, the individuals who are at highest risk of illness and death from the interaction of biological sensitivities with environmental risks are typically 15 to 20 percent of any given population.”
February 11, 2024
i FINALLY FINISHED!!!!!!!!! only for it to be mid and provide no real answers or give honest unbiased analyses of research studies. also super uncompromising to disadvantaged/vulnerable people.
March 7, 2012
Important, but dry, and not what I expected or wanted. Recommended for people who plan on having children. Full review: http://bit.ly/ZGeCki
April 2, 2013
The first chapter is really annoying: it's all because of childhood trauma! Obesity, everything! Because definitely kids today are more traumatized than kids in the past ever were.... But after that the book is really interesting. I have actually read quite a few of the studies referred to in this book so I can't say much of the information was new to me but I can say this book was not boring, definitely written in a "sensationalizing" style, which I enjoy but also find a little over-the-top and untrustworthy. I thought this book was very similar to Tears and Tantrums except that Tears and Tantrums was a bit more optimistic and had a lot less drama.
The most interesting thing in this book was when the author talked about "ACE" scores. Someone's ACE score (early childhood trauma) can accurately predict whether they will have "addictive personalities" or "seek healing" through various drugs and other addictions. I had not heard of that so I enjoyed that. However, 23andMe.com analyzed my DNA and a informed me that I am genetically predisposed to "excess." So.... I will let science keep fighting about that one and continue to focus on solutions. This book did have a tiny chapter on various solutions and different kinds of therapy that I also enjoyed.
All that being said, since most of the info in this book was not new to me, I pretty much skimmed this book so maybe it was better (or worse) than I give it credit for.
The most interesting thing in this book was when the author talked about "ACE" scores. Someone's ACE score (early childhood trauma) can accurately predict whether they will have "addictive personalities" or "seek healing" through various drugs and other addictions. I had not heard of that so I enjoyed that. However, 23andMe.com analyzed my DNA and a informed me that I am genetically predisposed to "excess." So.... I will let science keep fighting about that one and continue to focus on solutions. This book did have a tiny chapter on various solutions and different kinds of therapy that I also enjoyed.
All that being said, since most of the info in this book was not new to me, I pretty much skimmed this book so maybe it was better (or worse) than I give it credit for.
July 24, 2017
This is a much needed contribution to the field where there is a desperate need to evolve our understanding of trauma in a way that is developmentally appropriate and "biologically respectful." It is shocking how blind we have been to the most vulnerable among us, "outsourcing" child-rearing through various marketing, media-driven, and culturally-condoned practices and self-serving views, as if they could possibly substitute for a primary relationship that is interactively-rich, consistent, and attuned. The good news is our burgeoning knowledge (i.e. - ala neuroscience, psycho-neuro-immuno-endocrinology, etc.) and the inherent "workability" of it all; the bad news is time and timing is of the essence. The time is now.
Hands down, a fantastic book that emphasizes thoroughly and in detail the disease-trauma connection that has its roots in the earliest moments of life.
Hands down, a fantastic book that emphasizes thoroughly and in detail the disease-trauma connection that has its roots in the earliest moments of life.
August 9, 2016
Interesting read. First few years are pivotal but the consequences for the rest of the child's life are tremendous--affecting things like their risk of heart disease/diabetes to affecting growth hormone and issues with socialization. Also, fascinating what a difference it made in Colorado and Tennessee when nurses followed up on child care for the first two years. The risk of abuse, incarceration, and economic strain dropped like crazy.
April 5, 2020
I didn't get out of this book what I thought I would (I thought it would be a lot more information about being an adult who had childhood trauma) but it's much more focused on preventing trauma in children either way, I still learned some things and would recommend this book to anyone who works with kids, has them or is thinking of having them more so than I would recommend it for uncovering anything about your past childhood trauma. Would give it a 3.5 if I could.
August 2, 2017
Unfortunately, the title of this book is not borne out in its text. Very little of substance here, and often the references cited are less than reliable sources. Other books, such as "Is It All in Your Head?: True Stories of Imaginary Illness" by Suzanne O'Sullivan, are much more substantive and compelling.
March 16, 2018
This book is rich with research, information, and explanation regarding the impact of trauma. Now that I've read the book and gotten the overview I need to go back and 'study' it. Also, I am completely fascinated that more and more research is 'proving' what has been Biblically espoused for centuries.
May 13, 2023
Awesome info bring a lot together into a cohesive explanation of what we know this far. This book was recommended and didnt disappoint. Love that it ended with ideas on how to address issues and provided resources. Thanks for a well written eye opening book it explained a lot of things I needed to know.
July 13, 2025
PTSD from childhood trauma lasts a lifetime. This was an interesting read. Interestingly enough, my diagnosis of heart disease in my 30s (symptoms of heart issues begin in my 20s)but were ignored by doctors, with my first heart attack at age 39. I'm certain, without a doubt, my chaotic childhood played its role in my health issues. I recommend this book
October 15, 2017
Excellent
October 22, 2018
An excellent resource for learning about ACEs. Extremely well written and detailed.
December 19, 2014
from the library
TOC from library computer
Monster in the closet : trauma in the body --
Things that go bump in the night : the biology of stress and trauma -- Scared sick : how experience becomes biology --
Little traumas : prenatal and perinatal --
Little traumas : infancy and toddlerhood --
Nowhere to run : when parents are the source of trauma --
No place to hide : the role of genetics and epigenetics --
Security blanket : the biology of secure attachment --
Rock a bye : therapy and beyond --
It's a small world after all --
Appendix A. Preventing trauma to young children during divorce --
Appendix B. Maltreatment in childhood (correlations) --
Appendix C. Recognizing trauma : early signs of distress in preschoolers -- Appendix D. Working with traumatized children --
Appendix E. Effective programs and policies.
TOC from library computer
Monster in the closet : trauma in the body --
Things that go bump in the night : the biology of stress and trauma -- Scared sick : how experience becomes biology --
Little traumas : prenatal and perinatal --
Little traumas : infancy and toddlerhood --
Nowhere to run : when parents are the source of trauma --
No place to hide : the role of genetics and epigenetics --
Security blanket : the biology of secure attachment --
Rock a bye : therapy and beyond --
It's a small world after all --
Appendix A. Preventing trauma to young children during divorce --
Appendix B. Maltreatment in childhood (correlations) --
Appendix C. Recognizing trauma : early signs of distress in preschoolers -- Appendix D. Working with traumatized children --
Appendix E. Effective programs and policies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2015
from the library
hardcover
TOC
Monster in the closet : trauma in the body -- Things that go bump in the night : the biology of stress and trauma -- Scared sick : how experience becomes biology -- Little traumas : prenatal and perinatal -- Little traumas : infancy and toddlerhood -- Nowhere to run : when parents are the source of trauma -- No place to hide : the role of genetics and epigenetics -- Security blanket : the biology of secure attachment -- Rock a bye : therapy and beyond -- It's a small world after all -- Appendix A. Preventing trauma to young children during divorce -- Appendix B. Maltreatment in childhood (correlations) -- Appendix C. Recognizing trauma : early signs of distress in preschoolers -- Appendix D. Working with traumatized children -- Appendix E. Effective programs and policies.
hardcover
TOC
Monster in the closet : trauma in the body -- Things that go bump in the night : the biology of stress and trauma -- Scared sick : how experience becomes biology -- Little traumas : prenatal and perinatal -- Little traumas : infancy and toddlerhood -- Nowhere to run : when parents are the source of trauma -- No place to hide : the role of genetics and epigenetics -- Security blanket : the biology of secure attachment -- Rock a bye : therapy and beyond -- It's a small world after all -- Appendix A. Preventing trauma to young children during divorce -- Appendix B. Maltreatment in childhood (correlations) -- Appendix C. Recognizing trauma : early signs of distress in preschoolers -- Appendix D. Working with traumatized children -- Appendix E. Effective programs and policies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2018
I feel this book was written more for doctors and therapists, especially those who practice the different treatment modalities the authors talk about.
I have to agree with another reader about the somewhat fatalistic tendencies this book has in regards to those of us already traumatized. I could feel my heart pounding reading some of the chapters, feeling quite hopeless.
In addition, I thought this would be more on actual childhood trauma verses the mostly talked about infant and pre-birth or birth trauma. I guess what I got most from this book is that I may try one of the treatments they recommend as could-be helpful.
I have to agree with another reader about the somewhat fatalistic tendencies this book has in regards to those of us already traumatized. I could feel my heart pounding reading some of the chapters, feeling quite hopeless.
In addition, I thought this would be more on actual childhood trauma verses the mostly talked about infant and pre-birth or birth trauma. I guess what I got most from this book is that I may try one of the treatments they recommend as could-be helpful.
July 1, 2012
Love the biological and neurological pieces. So important, yet so overlooked in the healthcare system. Not to mention how early childhood trauma, dismal parenting/care-giving and weak family systems lie at the heart of just about everything wrong in our culture. Toxic adults taking care of vulnerable children...scary! Without intervention, it's a viscous cycle of repetition, when those same kids grow up and have children of their own.
May 15, 2012
This was thought-provoking--especially for the child of a highly-stressed mother. However, I don't believe for a minute that induced labor causes the childhood habit of procrastination and lack of motivation, so I take some of the cited studies with a huge grain of salt.
August 26, 2012
The premise - that early childhood trauma and, in some cases, trauma visited upon our grandparents, can leave us more vulnerable to diseases in midlife - is fascinating and the authors offer up plenty of evidence to back up their claims. Made me wish I'd paid more attention in biology class.
June 3, 2013
It seems that so much of the book was adapted from Peter Levine's Trauma Through a Child's Eyes. Nevertheless, these authors team up to present a meaty literature review of traumatic experiences or ACEs on long term physical health. Very informative.
May 9, 2013
Good read for those who understand a bit of psychology. Important to remember that the book explores de possibility of sickness to childhood trauma. It's not a simple subject to read...
January 31, 2013
Amazingly influential. Fight, flight or Freeze.
June 9, 2013
Loving all the research condenced in a very readable fashion. It has opened my eyes to why our society is so unstable.
November 5, 2013
Loved this book - valuable insights. Highly recommended to anyone working with those that have been through childhood trauma
July 18, 2016
Some good info, but generally didn't love it.
April 11, 2012
Would have been more intersting if there wewre more stories or well known cases to this..
March 21, 2015
A must read for trauma-informed therapists.
Read
March 22, 2018it was very i opening
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews