1. Realize That Sexual Assault is Psychologically Damaging
Victims of sexual assault experience negative psychological reactions that can potentially diminish their physical health. In social settings, feelings of stigma may occur. In private, women who have experienced rape often battle guilt, anger, shame and denial.
Healthy persons have normal hormone levels, which help them to respond appropriately to stress. However, victims of sexual assault have been found to have increased epinephrine and norepinephrine, with concomitantly lower levels of cortisone. Sexual assault not only imbalances serotonin, a chemical that aids electrical impulse transmission between nerve cells, but it also disrupts thyroid function and the body's release of opiates to fight pain.
Neurologically, sexual assault can impair brain function, particularly in the hippocampus. This section of the brain helps regulate memory and emotion. Its disruption diminishes a person's ability to remember events, express appropriate emotions and may be the reason persons with PTSD experience flashbacks of the traumatic event.
2. Recognize How Assaulted Women Display Symptoms of PTSD
The most common cause of PTSD in men is military combat. However, for women, the most frequent causes are rape or some other sexual and physical abuse. Furthermore, PTSD is more likely to develop in sexually assaulted women if, during the encounter, a weapon was displayed, excessive force was used or injury to the victim occurred.
If the rape happened in childhood, the person is much more likely to recover without experiencing PTSD symptoms, so long as they have supportive parents (particularly a compassionate mother) and a positive home environment. Adult victims of rape tend to recover well if they have a caring, understanding boyfriend or husband that can help them overcome their hypersensitivity toward men and sex.
Although the symptoms of a post-traumatic response to sexual assault vary, they typically include diminished memory of past events, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, high levels of anxiety, emotional detachment and extreme excitability. Victims of sexual assault usually associate people or things that evoke the trauma with the assault itself. If a knife was involved, the woman may develop a fear of knives. Aversions to sex and male companionship are also common symptoms. Physiologically, PTSD can result in depression and damaging anxiety, two factors that diminish a person's physical health.
3. Seek a Clinical Assessment
If you believe you have PTSD resulting from sexual assault or if you know someone who is experiencing these symptoms, a licensed mental health professional should conduct an assessment. A good assessment will gather detailed information about the trauma, such as how often it has occurred, the specific type of sexual traumas involved and the characteristics of the encounter, including any injuries sustained.
Questions will not be legalistic, but will instead focus on behavioral circumstances. Rather than asking if you were raped, the clinician is likely to ask, "Has anyone ever forced you to have sex by threatening you or those you love?" Clients generally feel more at ease answering these types of questions and will often provide feedback of higher quality when presented with them. The therapist will also inquire about the victim's social support system and current level of functioning.
4. Familiarize Yourself With Treatment Types
In extreme cases, medication may be prescribed to help women suffering with the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to correct serotonin imbalances. The monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) phenelzine is highly recommended for managing intrusion symptoms, such as nightmares and flashbacks.
Most symptoms can be alleviated without medication by treating the client with Cognitive Therapy, a form of counseling that focuses on thought reconstruction, reality-testing and perception modification. Techniques that are especially effective for sexually abused women include Stress Inoculation Training, Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing and Art Therapy.
