Dr Helen Rodwell

Every time I hear a professional say things like, “Well I know a family where the mother and all her daughters have bipolar/BPD/schizophrenia, and they have absolutely no traumas, so it has to be genetic!” I just shake my head and laugh at the absurdity of ignoring the massive prevalence of VAWG and child abuse of girls, and their confidence in claiming that those people have never experienced a single traumatic event. There is NO evidence for genetic basis of ‘mental disorders’, but there’s solid, global evidence for high prevalence of violence, abuse, oppression, poverty and trauma. How naive can someone be? Does anyone truly believe that they know a human being or an entire family who has never known a single traumatic event? What makes them think they know anyone that deeply to make such an assessment? One of the most common experiences I have had in 14 years of work is that the vast majority of people who claim to have no trauma history whatsoever will then be able to reel off countless experiences of grief, stress, loss, rejection, betrayal, anger, sadness, trauma and abuse that they had simply never considered to be traumatic until they were asked. Genes might sound like the hygienic, clever, academic, scientific explanation for these behaviours across generations but I think you’ll find it’s actually rooted in trauma, family cultures, environments, and distress.