Childhood Trauma Focus of Southern NM Conference

By Roz Brown, Public News Service – NM
Nov. 12, 2018

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico’s children experience the fourth-highest rate of trauma in the country, according to a recent study, and that’s the topic of a conference on childhood trauma coming up in Las Cruces on Wednesday.

Many mental health experts think childhood trauma is one of the most urgent public health challenges in the country. Lori Martinez, executive director of Ngage New Mexico, said a recent lawsuit filed against the state’s under-funded Children, Youth and Families Department demonstrates how dire the situation is for many children – and raising awareness is critical.

“When we’re talking about childhood trauma, we want to identify the ways that trauma affects us as individuals, and also as a society, on a daily basis,” Martinez said.

She said hundreds of studies link adverse childhood experiences to a wide array of diseases, mental illnesses and lifelong problems.

Read more at Public News Service – NM