“Having been appropriately established that she was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at age 32, it occurred to Ms. X that all facets of her personal and professional lives had been grossly affected by this mental illness. In her case, PTSD was a result of a plethora of adverse experiences, one of them being sexual abuse at knifepoint. Post that incident, there was no secure space left for her, which she could call safe haven, not even her own house. Back then, after this incident had transpired, she had filed a report at a police station in the vicinity of her neighborhood. Fearing the public humiliation that would have ensued, she declined the help offered to her by many sexual harassment counselors and by the human rights’ commission.
Even after many weeks elapsed after the incidence of the event, Ms. X couldn’t shut her eyes without visualizing the face of the assailant who had violated her. She also became an insomniac. For many years post the incident, she was unable to sleep alone. She became obsessed with checking all windows & doors of her house to ensure that they were all locked. More often than not, she used to feel bewildered, repeatedly losing track of her identity and at times, even not keeping track of where she was headed towards, when outside her house.
Throughout the occurrence of such events, Ms. X was feeling like she was losing her mind. For a short span of time, she somehow kept it together superficially, but in the long run, due to the traumatic thoughts she used to come across just because of looking at passers-by and because of the paranoia-induced thoughts of the whole crowd looking at her, even when nobody was: it started becoming increasingly demanding for her to depart from her house every morning to pursue a career in the corporate. She would remain confined within the four walls of her apartment often, even for many months consecutively at times. This way of living became a lifestyle for her and this led to an abrupt end to her career in the corporate, when she was overcome by negativity & became unable to leave her house in order to go to her workplace.
After her mother approached a psychiatrist working with Tulasi Healthcare for help, Ms. X was immediately admitted into Tulasi’s psychiatric & rehabilitation centre for residential treatment. During one of her counseling sessions, she was diagnosed with PTSD. She was elated to know that her condition was very much treatable. After the diagnosis, she felt secure after many years. Medication and therapy being properly administered to her under the supervision of counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists and paramedical staff of Tulasi, marked a critical milestone in her life. Ms. X is currently rebuilding her career as an artist.
The term “sexual assault” refers to an array of deeds that entail unnecessary sexual contact, such as sexual molestation. Sexual assault is common.
Someone who has been sexually harassed will generally experience high levels of distress immediately after the occurrence of the incident, as it may bring about strong feelings of disgrace, blame, nervousness, dread, rage and grief. Also, there exists a societal stigma connected with sexual harassment which further augments the feeling of disgrace. While such feelings subside over time for some people, there are some others who will continue to experience some or the other form of psychosomatic anguish for the following many years, owing to being sexually harassed in the past.
Like in the case of Ms. X, a sexual harassment victim may also develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sexual harassment can also result in a gamut of unceasing bodily conditions such as continual pelvic pain, arthritis, problems digesting food, seizures and intense premenstrual symptoms.
Traumatic events generally are connected with the development of PTSD.
Effective Treatments:
There are highly effective, trauma-focused therapy treatments available at psychiatric, rehabilitation and mental hospitals. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Prolonged-Exposure Therapy (PE). These treatments though entailing different regimes and practices, have one parameter in common: helping a victim in moving forward and letting go of the past. Trauma mitigation therapies can:
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