If you are being assaulted physically, you report the assault with the help of an assault lawyer in Vancouver. Do not wait any longer; contact a lawyer now.
What is sexual assault?
A person who seeks physical intimacy with you without your permission is termed ‘sexual assault .’ A sexual assaulter will have a range of behaviors, including unwanted, forceful, or coercive sexual acts. The assault can include unwanted, offensive touch, rape, or an attempt to rape. Three in every ten women and 2 in every ten men are likely to get sexually assaulted once in their lifetime.
Sexual assault and PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a troublesome mental condition that is mostly caused after a traumatic event in life, like sexual assault. PTSD is very common in victims who have survived sexual assaults. About 70% of the victims experience trauma, and 45% have PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD are:
- Re-experiencing the traumatic event.
- Getting startled easily.
- Mind occupied with negative thoughts and beliefs.
- Reminders of the trauma.
- Headaches.
- Insomnia.
The physical symptoms of PTSD are fatigue, body ache, headaches, loss of appetite, and in some cases, high fever.
Treating PTSD after sexual assault
All the victims of sexual assault do not experience PTSD. The victims might have some symptoms of PTSD, but with time things improve. However, with some victims, it does not get better over time. There are cases where the symptoms get worse with time.
Fortunately, the advancement in the medical field has made it easier to understand people with PTSD and has developed techniques to treat it too.
Psychotherapy
Patients with PTSD are treated by various processes, including cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. These processes help get the victims out of the trauma and lead a healthy life.
Joining a support group
Being part of a support group helps. You can listen to other victims’ stories and their success stories in overcoming the trauma. By staying in touch with the group, you will be able to vent out your emotion without the fear of getting judged, and sharing will help you move ahead.
Helping yourself
No matter where you go or what you do, self-help is the best help. To push away the trauma, make some changes in your lifestyle. Eating healthy, exercising, going for walks, meditation, keeping yourself busy, and spending time with loved ones will move you forward.
