A disturbing link has been found between sexual abuse and mental illnesses in women. A recent study by several researchers at the University College and Kings College London closed at the conclusion that 40% of women who suffer severe mental conditions were victims of sexual assault.
The degree of the mental illness which is brought on by the abuse or of the attempt of the abuse cause about 53% of women to suffer suicidal tendencies in their adult age.
As for men, though lower in numbers but still disturbing, 12% of those who suffer severe mental issues have experienced sexual assault or the attempt of such at any one point in their lives.
The findings of the study were published earlier this month in the Psychological Medicine, a Cambridge International journal that focuses on psychiatry, related aspects of psychology and basic sciences, details the methodology by which the study has been conducted.
According to the publication, the study mainly involved the survey of 303 randomly-picked psychiatric outpatients who are under the care of community services for more than a year.From 60% of this pool of individuals has shown schizophrenic symptoms and tendencies.
The survey was conducted by way of a British Crime Survey questionnaire for domestic and sexual violence. Their responses were then compared to 22, 206 respondents to a national crime survey done in 2011/12.
In the processing of the yield of the survey, the main factors in play included age, ethinicity and marital status.
Dr. Hind Khalifeh said that the statistics their study has yielded is very disturbing, especially that it is very apparent that a person who has been sexually assaulted has a very high risk to suffer suicidal tendencies.
For this, Khalifeh suggests that whenever a person is brought to the attention of any health official or a psychological clinician following a suicide attempt, asking if he or she has experienced sexual assault any time in the past should deem helpful in dealing with the root cause of the attempt.
