We all know people, maybe even ourselves, who were raised or lived in a toxic psychological environment. Researchers have recently discovered that the HPA (Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Adrenal) Axis can become "dysregulated" in these kind of environments and, yes, it's very ugly. The hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glads are all-important hormone-effecting and producing glands that you want operating optimally.

This is yet another reason to Protect Yourself from Stress, because it is usually stressors that lead to this sort of HPA dysregulation. For example, we all know that depression is not always a "simple fix". One reason is that its roots can be so deep: childhood sexual abuse, for example, is a strong predictor of adult-onset depression particularly for women, but also for men as well. The reason? Researchers have found that it results from "stress-induced dysregulation of the HPA axis". [1] Researchers have found that children who have been maltreated during childhood have a similar pattern: dysregulation of the HP&A and significantly higher rates of psychiatric disorders. [5]

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So what does this dysregulation mean? Scientists are just beginning to discover the answers to these questions. One thing it means is, generally, higher baseline cortisol levels throughout the day. Of course, higher cortisol levels attack neurons, add deadly visceral fat and depresses testosterone levels for starters. One study of children who lost a parent during 9-11 found all these cortisol-based symptoms and that these children had twice the rate of psychiatric disorders as prior to 9-11. One other phenomenon that they observed: some children with psychiatric disorders often had suppressed cortisol levels. [2][3] Researchers believe this is because their cortisol was so high for a period of time post-trauma that their receptors become insensitive.

Of course, in life we do not always have control over these sort of events. However, whenever possible, it is critical that you protect yourself, because psychiatric researchers have discovered that numerous cortisol and psychiatric disorders are associated with the same HPA dysregulation issues. We already mentioned depression above. Depersonalization disorder has been found to have suppressed cortisol levels and HPA dysregulation. [4] Schizophrenia patients have been found to have many cortisol-related abnormalities and, in particular, to be less responsive to stress, a sign of the "cortisol insensitivity" mentioned above. [6] And researchers have found that there is good evidence that HPA dysregulation can lead to antisocial and psychopathic disorders. [7][8]

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I'm not saying that just because you've been "through hell" that you're going to go AWOL. However, on the other side, it is important to realize that you (or your loved ones) will not go through such events unscathed. The bottom line is to do all you can to protect yourself: the research is showing the physiological reasons for the permanent "scarring" and damage that occurs.

REFERENCES:

1) Am J Psychiatry, June 1999, 156:816-828, "Childhood Sexual Abuse as a Risk Factor for Depression in Women: Psychosocial and Neurobiological Correlates"

2) http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/554738, Apr 5 2007, Medscape Medical News, "Children Who Lost a Parent in the 9/11 Terror Attack Had Persistent HPA Axis Dysregulation"

3) Biol Psychiatry, 2007, 61:957-965

4) Neuropsychopharmacology, 2001, 25:793-795, "Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal Axis Dysregulation in Depersonalization Disorder"

5) Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2005 Feb, 30(2):162-78, "Child maltreatment and HPA axis dysregulation: relationship to major depressive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder in females"

6) The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2004, 184:S72-S75, "Stress and the genesis of diabetes mellitus in schizophrenia"

7) Psychol Bull, 2007 Jan, 133(1):149-82, "The evidence for a neurobiological model of childhood antisocial behavior"

8) Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2010; 6: 691–697, "Neuroendocrine aspects of pediatric aggression: Can hormone measures be clinically useful?"

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