Childhood Abuse, Head Injuries, and Use of Medical Emergency Services in People with Severe Mental Illness

Abstract

People with severe mental illness (SMI) report high rates of traumatic experiences. This study analyzes data collected from 183 people diagnosed with SMI on reports of childhood trauma, head injuries, and emergency room (ER) services. More than half the cohort (56.7%) reported 3 to 7 cooccurring categories of childhood abuse (CAB). People who reported 6 and 7 categories of CAB had a 5-fold risk of experiencing a head injury. If they have used the ER for reasons other than psychiatric illness they endorse more traumatic experiences in their childhood when compared to those who did not. People with SMI and cooccurring CAB experiences might be predisposed to a higher risk of head injuries and more frequent use of the ER.

Keywords:

• domestic violence
• incarceration
• schizophrenia
• sexual abuse
• substance abuse
• trauma

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health.