Since 1990, an uptick in diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for children has created, family therapist Robin Karr-Morse argues, a ripple effect of repercussions as those individuals mature into adulthood. Scared Sick makes an erudite, well-considered case that the quickening pace of change in modern culture, with a rapid recurrence of new threats and fears, has overtaxed our innate "flight or fight" response--simply put, humans haven't evolved as quickly as their dangers, leading to a cascade of health problems that start in early childhood.
Karr-Morse has the science to back up her claim; some of the presentation is technical ("early fears trigger disease by dysregulating the HPA axis," runs one such section, "activating the vagus nerve, and catalyzing epigentic mechanisms that facilitate the expression of genetic disease"), but other sections are more straightforward in their tone. Scared Sick looks at research from across multiple scientific disciplines to make a convincing case for the particular harms unrecognized or untreated trauma can create in human development, using notable cultural figures, such as "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski, as examples. Karr-Morse also devotes chapters to prevention and treatment options for parents and medical providers, solidifying the book's status as a must-read for pediatricians and mental-health counselors working with children and families. --Matthew Tiffany, counselor, writer for Condalmo