When it was controversial to even think of asking patients about taboo subjects, the ACEs Study dared to ask questions like, Were you sexually abused as a child? Did you have a parent who was an alcoholic? The answers produced a public health revelation. For the first time, the loss of a parent through death, divorce, or incarceration and other traumatic childhood experiences, such as living with an alcoholic parent or being sexually abused, was conclusively linked to both physical and mental health problems later in life. ACEs, or Acute Childhood Experiences, are now understood to lead to early-onset heart disease, diabetes, addiction, and depression. Understanding that a broken-hearted child is more likely to suffer from mental and physical illnesses as an adult has professionals of all kinds asking, How can we help children before their physical and mental health problems emerge as adults?
Resilience: The Biology of Stress & the Science of Hope uses beautiful animation and compelling characters to explore the science and the solutions. The film follows pioneering individuals who looked at the ACEs research and the emerging science of Toxic Stress and asked, Why are we waiting?
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