Post Traumatic Stress Suicide

Avoidant behavior among victims of sexual abuse may be understood as attempts to cope with the chronic trauma. Among the dysfunctional activities associated with avoidance of abuse-specific memories and feelings are dissociation, substance abuse and various tension-reducing activities. Unfortunately, although sometimes immediately effective in reducing distress, avoidance and self-destructive methods of coping with child abuse experiences may lead ultimately to higher levels of lower self-esteem and greater feelings of guilt and anger.

Victims of sexual assault suffer from a wide variety of mental and emotional issues throughout their lives as a result of the experience. Results can range from depression, anger, feelings of loneliness, and difficulty when trying to formulate relationships of trust (Hyde 45). Victims experience a wide variety of psychological issues as a result of sexual crimes, which they will have to carry with them throughout their entire lives. Also, “Psychological problems can start later in life with changes in behavior- vague fears, feeling unprotected and helpless, nightmares, bedwetting, sleeping problems, fear to loss parents approval/love, need to please others, poor self esteem, anger, depression, withdrawal from activities, daydreaming, difficulty concentrating, behavior problems” (Hyde 47).

The symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder vary. They can include an increased level of anxiety, which can result in difficulty sleeping, concentrating, and an exaggerated response to noise. PTSD can affect a woman who has experienced sexual assault ability to remember past events, in particular events associated with her assault. (2) PTSD can cause feelings of detachment and numbness, as well as a desire to avoid anything that the victim might associate with her assault. While doctors have been able to identify the symptoms in many victims of sexual assault the exact cause of the disorder is still questioned. Is the disorder the body's response to trauma? If so what relationship exists between the symptoms associated with PTSD as trauma? A strong correlation has been found between sufferers of PTSD and poor health. (3) PTSD can lead to depression and sickness. PTSD if not treated can also indirectly cause accidents that can affect a victim's health. These accidents can be the result high levels of anxiety, of a lack of ability to focus, and a lack of ability to respond.

Rape Trauma Syndrome has three stages, Acute Phase, Outward Adjustment Phase and the Resolution Phase.17 The Acute Phase occurs after the initial attack (initial shock, anxiety).The Resolution Phase where the assault is no longer the focus of their life and have moved beyond it. The Outward Adjustment Phase is the stage that could last months or years and the one that the military system can affect positively with appropriate mental health care. In the Outward Adjustment Phase an individual may appear normal but have internal turmoil.18 Within this phase a majority of male survivors attempt to process it with two primary coping techniques: Minimization, the “everything is fine” and Suppression, act as if it did not happen.19 Men may use these coping mechanisms based on maintaining society’s definition of a man, so they try to minimize, suppress or internalize their perceived feelings of being weak or less of a man. This may cause anxiety in which they withdraw from relationships and avoid seeking

An article written about the effects of sexual abuse in accordance with male victims, claims: “[t]hree perspectives of early family relationships and attachment theory, developmental psychopathology, and trauma theory provide a conceptual understanding as to why some victims are vulnerable to the effects of sexual abuse while others appear resilient to it.” Although the study's main objective is to understand the developmental effects of male CSA survivors, it also notes that the majority of the data collected about the psychological well being of the sample is also representative of female CSA survivors. In a similar study on the repercussions of sexual abuse in male victims, Scott Eastman depicts a table simply explaining the process of coping, or the problems tied to CSA. Much like a story line, there is a beginning a middle and an end after the initial incident, but not all survivors reach the stages of completion and often times face difficulties coping. In the middle stage of the process, is distraction, obsessive review. These are symptoms tied to PTSD, defined as a disorder which a traumatic event causes flashbacks, nightmares, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. It may reasonably be concluded that the obsessive thoughts are tied to PTSD because reviewing the traumatic experience may give the illusion of understanding to the survivor. In the final Stage of the process, following acceptance, is

(2012) conducted a follow-up assessment on women who survived at least one episode of sexual assault at least three months prior to receiving treatment; 86% of the sample had experienced at least one other traumatic event in addition to the index event. To be included and considered for treatment, the participants could have no current psychosis, substance dependency, or violent ideation.

It is natural for a person to experience worry after a disturbing event. According to Junger it is nearly impossible to not react to a traumatic event. “Almost everybody exposed to trauma reacts by having some sort of short-term reaction to it--acute PTSD” (Junger 80). Most people are able to recover at a rate much faster than war veterans, even though many rape instances may have been significantly more traumatizing than the aspects of the war. This is related to the fact that rape victims do not wish to retain any of their memories, while war victims have many positive aspects of the war. “Treating combat veterans is different from treating rape veterans don’t have this idea that some aspects of their experience are worth retaining” (Junger 81). Comparatively, the war veterans do have a lot of negative experiences, but they also have many great experiences of camaraderie with fellow soldiers. Many soldiers were able to form lasting relationships preceding and during the war, but after the war had trouble forming new relationships. This resulted in the implementation of service dogs to help transition soldiers back to society again. “In this regard, reporters' media accounts of the experiences of veterans with PTSD and the general public's social media response comments were subjected to a triangulated

This research is aimed at providing knowledge of coping skills for victims of early sexual abuse. Poor coping skills, such as avoidance has been demonstrated to exacerbate the impact of childhood trauma on psychological distress (Wang et al, 2010). Victims of early sexual abuse tend to use acceptance and avoidance as ways to cope with trauma. Child sexual abuse has consistently been associated with the use of avoidant coping which have been associated with increased trauma symptoms, which have, in turn, been linked to increased risk for adult sexual

Existing controlled examinations of intervention efficacy specific to only sexual assault and rape are presently minimal in comparison to intervention examinations of combination or other types of trauma (Regehr, Alaggia, Dennis, Pitts, & Saini, 2013). Psychotherapeutic interventions that fail to differentiate sexual assault and rape victims from other types of trauma victims may decrease the treatment effectiveness or inadvertently harm participants in this subgroup. Trauma associated from rape or sexual assault differs from other forms of trauma and treatment efficacy should be examined in this manner. Trauma from rape or sexual assault entail symptoms of PTSD, depression, suicidal ideations and sexual dysfunction. Individuals may also indicate feelings of vulnerability, loss of control, fear, shame, self-blame, societal blame and stigma (Russell & Davis, 2007; Regehr et al., 2013; Ullman &Peter-Hagene, 2014). This research proposal intends to explore the long term effectiveness of Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) at reducing distress and trauma explicitly for adult victims of sexual assault and rape.

Straight Talk about Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Coping with the Aftermath of Trauma, written by Kay Marie Porterfield, was published in New York in 1996 by Facts on File. The purpose of the text is to inform readers about the recovering process from PTSD and its association with the public throughout different periods of time. The information found in this source is incredibly valuable because the author is a well-educated individual who has studied the topic, and withholds an M.A in counseling from Arizona State University. Her data also comes from credible sources that convey important statistics. However, as a limitation Dr. Porterfield prioritized on the

For example, suing an abuser for financial resources after filing for divorce may be an empowering action in the midst of such stressful legal action (Walker, 2009). On the other hand, trauma therapy helps the victim better understand her psychological symptoms that come from her exposure to trauma (Walker, 2009).Distinctive trauma triggers include the memory of the abusers face, the sound of his voice, and even the batterers scent during the abuse (Walker, 2009). The sensitivity to these triggers can interfere with new relationships and many times never fully go away (Walker, 2009). It is imperative to empower these victims of trauma to strive for change but it is equally important to be able to explain how the abuse and fear triggers desperation in the victim as mental health professionals. Documenting the clients comments about the abuse and the fear of her abuser may help mental health professionals better understand Battered Woman’s Syndrome (Walker,

Those effects may include depression, suicide, being angry, isolation, flashbacks, PTSD, and STDs. Most people refer PTSD towards the military, but it can appeal for survivors of all types of nightmares, including sexual abuse. A research done in Canada within the Department of Justice. There were many participants who agreed to report their assault, and one young man spoke about his long lasting, and extremely urgent impact of the sexual assault, “I suffer from PTSD...I always felt I was to blame” (McDonald 13). Uncharacteristic feelings that occur within sexual abuse survivors can be stress, the feeling of fear, extreme nervousness and anxiety, these feelings are completely normal. These feelings that occur in survivors are extreme, it can make someone fear they are in danger and always makes them look twice over their shoulder. “These symptoms can intrude into your daily life and prevent you from working, maintaining relationships, or completing everyday tasks” (Safe Horizon). It is exceptionally unfathomable for the survivors to operate in their everyday

Great post! Sexual trauma can be extremely hard to overcome. It is vital for a sexual trauma survivor to regain a sense of wellness after the traumatic experience. It is essential to help them see interactions including sexual interactions as a way to construct healthy relationships with others. Moreover, victims of sexual trauma lose trust and therefore, they could feel uncomfortable speaking to others about their personal experience.

I. Attention getter: Do you know a friend or family member who has been sexually abused? Or maybe you have experienced sexual abuse yourself? Are you aware of the psychological and developmental effects it can have on you or someone you may know? Chances are, you don’t—while sexual abuse is common, may people do not speak up, and the problem goes unrecognized.

Ullman (2007) and Ullman and Filipas (2005) declared that the negative social reactions that others had toward adults that were sexually abused are positively associated with their PTSD symptoms. This was established after exploring and learning about abuse severity, the self-blame that survivors endure, and the coping mechanisms of the survivors. Many people fail to realize that everyone that interact with those who suffer with PTSD, whether it be within the neighborhood or community, school, or home, are affected.