What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

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Childhood trauma profoundly effects nearly everyone, directly or indirectly.

Childhood trauma is the leading cause of death worldwide.

A comprehensive approach emphasizing prevention and healing can largely eradicate the problem.

Michael Menard’s story is one of extraordinary resilience and success. He grew up in a 900-square-foot home, one of 14 children, with an angelic mother and an abusive father. He eventually rose to worldwide vice president of engineering for Johnson and Johnson, having patented the disposable diaper and 14 other absorbent products. His siblings were largely successful, but he wondered why so many suffered medical and psychological disorders. This spurred him to understand the nature, treatment, and prevention of childhood trauma, as described in his book, Greater Than Gravity: How Childhood Trauma Is Pulling Down Humanity.

Menard argues that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are humanity’s biggest threat to well-being, affecting billions globally. ACEs’ aftermath cuts across demographic boundaries, is passed down intergenerationally, and touches nearly everyone.

The Leading Cause of Death

Death certificates record proximate causes of death, such as heart attack and suicide, while ignoring upstream factors. Recent research illuminates actual root causes. For example, nearly 90 percent of suicide attempts among high school students are attributable to ACEs (Swedo and colleagues, 2024), as are 80 percent of adult suicides, which translates to 109 suicides per day attributable to long-term effects of ACEs (Grummitt and colleagues, 2021). Advanced epidemiological calculations for the various causes of death rank ACEs as the number one cause of death in America, killing 1401 Americans each day—more than half a million yearly (Grummitt and colleagues, 2021; Austin and colleagues, 2020; Dube and colleagues, 2003). Menard calculates that ACEs steal more years of American life than heart disease, cancer, stroke, and accidents combined. Yet we spend billions annually fighting the “smoke”—the many diseases resulting from ACEs—while largely ignoring the “flames,” ACEs themselves.

ACEs cost America billions to trillions annually, depending on the factors included in the calculations. Each adult with four or more ACEs will cost society $2.1 million over their lifetime in excess medical care, lost productivity, criminal justice involvement, and social services (Peterson and colleagues, 2019). Menard calculates that a company like Johnson and Johnson loses........

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