Child abuse is a global public health problem (Klika & Herrenkol, 2013). Maltreated children tend to express more cortisol dysregulation (De Bellis, Woolley, & Hooper, 2013). Having this concern causes children to express more stress than a child who has not been abused. According to De Bellis, Woolley, and Hooper (2013), pediatric studies have concluded that if a child is abused at a younger age and there is associated ongoing neglect, they are more likely to suffer from smaller brain volumes and increased biological stress. Being exposed to abusive trauma leading to PTSD has been shown to result in children having higher levels of dissociative symptoms and more behavioral problems (De Bellis, Woolley, & Hooper, 2013). Children tend to imitate behaviors observed by their caregivers or parents, and it is likely that at some point a child will express these same behaviors, but most likely in a different way. Being abused can often lead to a reenactment of that same attempt at punishment on the child's future family. Many mental problems associated with childhood abuse can be major factors for a child's future. Some children who have been abused lead balanced lives, while others struggle mentally in various aspects of life. An abused child is likely to exhibit symptoms of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, need for social dominance, depression, dissociative identity disorder, as well as suicidal thoughts. Today, although abused children are not the only ones to develop these various mental problems, they are also at greater risk of these mental illnesses due to their childhood trauma. Child abuse is an ongoing epidemic that has affected the ..... .middle of article ......ip between childhood abuse and suicidal tendencies in adult bipolar disorder. Violence and Victims, 23(3), 361-372. doi:10.1891/0886-6708.23.3.361 Meyers, John EB (2008). Family Law Quarterly Review. 42(3). http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publishing/insights_law_society/ChildProtectionHistory.authcheckdam.pdfNational Research Council. (2013). Etiology of child maltreatment. Understanding child abuse and neglect. 4, 106-160. Shinozaki, G., Romanowicz, M., Kung, S., and Mrazek, D.A. (2011). A novel interaction between SLC6A4 variation and child maltreatment is associated with resting heart rate. Depression and Anxiety, 28(3), 227-235. doi:10.1002/da.20779 Teisl, M., Rogosch, F.A., Oshri, A., & Cicchetti, D. (2012). Differential expression of social dominance as a function of age and experience of maltreatment. Developmental Psychology, 48(2), 575-588. doi:10.1037/a0024888