" But any damage that’s already done is still going to be there, and life usually doesn’t magically improve just because you finally escape a shitty situation."

Yes. Now, I am someone who can say "it got better for me" (though with sadness I relate to your post, past and present) and "it gets better" was a mantra from the age of eight or so. But when I got out of the situation, nearly a decade later, I hurt in ways I'm still discovering. There are mines laid in my heart and my relationships with every other person. It gets better. It shouldn't ever be so bad that "it gets better" is all a child has.

Are you comfortable having this post linked? Usually I assume so with a public post, but I want to be careful with this.