Over the years, child abuse or maltreatment has become increasingly widespread. In 2010, there were 3.3 million reports of child abuse (Child Abuse Statistics). Do you know someone who was abused or mistreated as a child? Child abuse occurs much more than people would like to believe. For every report of child abuse, unfortunately two more cases go unreported (Child Abuse Statistics). Child abuse appears to be a taboo topic in most cultures. No one wants to admit that they abused their children or that they were abused at some point in their life. There have been countless studies showing that child abuse actually affects individuals later in their adult lives. Abuse usually affects these people developmentally and this happens because the said person's brain develops at an extremely rapid rate during childhood. Young children's brains develop in response to events happening around them. For example, if they are surrounded by violence, they will start to become violent. On the other hand, if they are in a truly loving environment, they will also become very loving. The more the child finds himself in stressful situations, the more his brain will become confused and will not respond adequately to the situation in question. The brain will therefore always think that stress is present even in the calmest situations. If this horrible situation were to ever happen to a child and they went untreated, they would undoubtedly be at high risk for behavioral and emotional problems. 80% end up meeting the requirements for at least one psychological disorder (Child Abuse Statistics). Some of the problems they may develop are anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, and flashbacks. This can make it extremely difficult for them to lead a normal life, however not all children who are abused are affected.