Abortion Increases Risk For Psychiatric Disorders

Women who have had an abortion have an increased risk of suffering from anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and mood disorders.

  • A recent study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, found several links between psychiatric disorders and abortion. The study surveyed more than 8,000 women and compared those who had previously had an abortion to those who had never had an abortion for 15 psychiatric disorders. The study controlled for a wide range of personal, situational, and demographic factors.

    It was found that having an abortion resulted in an elevated risk of 12 out of the 15 mental health disorders studied.  Under anxiety disorders, the women who had a previous  abortion were found to have a 44% increased risk of panic attacks, a 111% increased risk of panic disorder, and a 59% increased risk of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

    With regard to substance abuse disorders, a 120% increased risk was found for alcohol abuse, and a 126% increased risk for drug abuse. Past abortions also increased the risk for mood disorders; the risk for bipolar disorder increased by 167% and major depression by 45%-48%.

    The study was led by Dr. Priscilla Coleman, a professor at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Coleman’s team relied on a nationally representative sample, the national comorbidity survey, which the authors regard as being widely recognized as the first nationally representative survey of mental health in the United States." [1]

[1]Induced abortion and anxiety, mood, and substance abuse disorders: Isolating the effects of abortion in the national comorbidity survey, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2008

 

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