PTSD
Some common symptoms of PTSD in rape victims are short
term memory loss, physical clumsiness and
disorientation. One helpful coping tactic is to carry a
small notebook with you and write down where you parked your
car, phone numbers and people's names (especially emergency
contacts).
The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) was created within the Department of Veterans Affairs
in 1989, in response to a Congressional mandate to address the
needs of veterans with military-related PTSD. Its mission was,
and remains: To advance the clinical care and social welfare
of America's veterans through research, education, and
training in the science, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD and
stress-related disorders. This website is provided as an
educational resource concerning PTSD and other enduring
consequences of traumatic stress.
The above site is not
designed for rape victims but if you enter the term rape in
the search engine it has articles relating to rape
trauma.
PTSD
in women and assault victims "The most widely studied
psychological consequence of sexual assault is Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)."
This page has been selected as: "one of the most relevant
pages related to a particular topic [PTSD] on the web today,
using an objective statistical measure applied to an extremely
large data set." (Links2Go Awards)
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Further information
Practical exersizes for breathing difficulties
Dissociative Disorder on the David Baldwin site
technical explanation by an M.D.
What is dissociative disorder? NAMI
NAMI Mission
& History
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
(NAMI) is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and
advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of
people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia,
major depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, and anxiety disorders.
Additional information about PTSD:
"The four major symptoms of Rape-related Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder are: Re-experiencing the trauma Rape victims
may experience uncontrollable intrusive thoughts about the
rape, essentially unable to stop remembering the incident.
Many rape victims have realistic nightmares and dreams about
the actual rape. In addition, victims may relive the event
through flashbacks, during which victims experience the
traumatic event as if it was happening now. Additionally,
victims are distressed by any event that symbolizes the trauma
of rape. Victims avoid talking about the event and will avoid
any stimuli or situations which remind them of the rape.
Social withdrawal
The second major RR-PTSD symptom for rape survivors is
social withdrawal. It has been described as psychic numbing,
denial and a feeling of being emotionally dead. They do not
experience feelings of any kind. One way it shows up in the
lives of survivors is a diminished interest in living. It is
not that they are suicidal, but they have no interest in their
children, in their jobs, and what feelings they do experience
have a very narrow range. Victims experiencing RR-PTSD may not
feel joy, pain, or really much of anything; many experience a
kind of amnesia. In addition, victims with RR-PTSD may not
remember the details of what happened to them. Avoidance
behaviors and actions
The third set of symptoms of RR-PTSD are avoidance
behaviors and actions. Victims may experience a general
tendency to avoid any thoughts, feelings, or cues which could
bring up the catastrophic and most traumatizing elements of
the rape. This may be characterized by refusing to drive near
the spot where the rape occurred. Increased physiological
arousal characteristics There may be an exaggerated startle
response -- hyper-alertness and hyper-vigilance -- which
requires that the victim pay attention to every sound and
sight in their environment. Many experience sleep disorders
which result in poor sleep patterns for chronic RR-PTSD
victims, such as trouble falling or staying asleep. In
addition, memory may be impaired, and many victims have
difficulties concentrating, which effects tasks that must be
completed in their daily lives.
Victims may exhibit a kind of irritability, hostility, rage
and anger that produce further isolation. Some disturbing new
research indicates that certain physiological changes in the
brain may be permanent conditions. Some survivors with RR-PTSD
are unable to accurately gauge the passage of time.
Consequently, they are likely to show up for appointments
late, early, or not at all. Another possible permanent side
effect is a kind of tunnel vision. Victims may be unable to
see the "big picture" which results in difficulty
distinguishing between a little crisis and a big crisis.
Therefore, all events in their lives are viewed as crises.
"
Retreived from the world wide web 6-1-03
http://www.ncvc.org/gethelp/raperelatedptsd/
