Sexual assault may lead to serious mental illness: Here’s how to cope with PTSD
Sexual assault survivors suffer anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) months after being assaulted.
India is considered to be one of the worst countries when it comes to sexual violence against women. Sexual violence refers to any kind of unwanted sexual act or activity, including actual and attempted rape, sexual assault (unwanted sexual touching), and sexual abuse. Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India, with an average of 88 cases reported daily. As many as 32033 rape cases were registered across the country in 2019, according to the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Being sexually assaulted can have debilitating effects on the survivors. The incident can leave survivors feeling embarrassed or ashamed, scared, angry, guilty, anxious, and sad. The trauma of being assaulted can lead to serious mental illness. Here are some common mental effects of sexual assault and rape:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts
- Depression that is characterized by prolonged sadness, feelings of hopelessness, unexplained crying, weight loss or gain, loss of energy or interest in activities previously enjoyed
- Suicidal thoughts or attempts.
- Dissociation or feeling disconnected from your thoughts, feelings, memories, and surroundings.
80% of teenage girls suffer serious mental illness after sexual assault
Four out of five teenage girls who have been sexually assaulted suffer from crippling mental health problems months after their attack, according to a 2018 study published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health medical journal. It found that victims had anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) months after being assaulted.
The study was undertaken by academics from University College London (UCL) and specialist staff from King's College hospital NHS trust. It involved 137 girls aged between 13 and 17 who were treated at three sexual assault referral centres around the capital.
When the girls were examined four to five months after being assaulted 80% of them had at least one mental health disorder and more than half (55%) had at least two disorders.
How to cope with PTSD symptoms
To cope with the distressing PTSD symptoms, often people rely on unhealthy ways such as drug or alcohol use. This can even worsen the condition. Below are a few healthy ways to manage your stress and anxiety.
Always breathewith your diaphragm
Practice deep breathing with your diaphragm to ease anxiety and stress. How to do it: When you breathe in, your belly should expand and when you breathe out, your belly should fall. But most people tend to use their chest and shoulders instead to breathe. This causes short and shallow breaths and exacerbates stress and anxiety.
Try Relaxation Exercises
Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, deep breathing exercises, and yoga are powerful relaxation techniques you can try to reduce your stress and anxiety.
Find Social Support
Social support can significantly help overcome the negative effects of a traumatic event. It's dangerous to bottle up your emotions because when can't contain them anymore, they'll burst out fiercer than before.
To calm your mind and reduce anxiety, share your worries and feelings to someone you trust (a family member, friend or healthcare provider). Talking about it will make you feel better and improve your mood.
