A new study has found that the use of physical punishment of children, such as spanking and slapping, increases a child’s risk of future mental illness. The study comes from a foreign epidemiologic survey that found a correlation between harsh physical punishment, including pushing, grabbing, slamming, slapping, or hitting, and mental illness even in the absence of more serious abusive behaviors, such as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect or intimate partner violence. The researchers note that current research suggests that harsh physical punishment in non-abusive situations increases a child’s lifetime risk of developing mental illnesses that include mood disorders, anxiety, alcohol and drug dependence, and personality disorders.