Mental health is another of the major damages after a sexual assault. The long list of psychological problems suffered by Anna Navarro, who 18 years ago was the victim of a multiple rape that she did not explain until a decade later, is common in cases of sexual assault. General discomfort, depression or anxiety are some of the consequences of being a victim of rape. For this reason, experts ask victims to prioritize their health, including their mental health, so that the repercussions are as mild as possible.
“Psychic sequelae are relevant because sexual assaults are one of the traumas that have the greatest potential for injury,” warns Lluïsa Garcia-Esteve, psychiatrist and president of the Committee on Domestic and Gender Violence at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. A trauma that affects the central nervous system and affects everything; For this reason, the psychiatrist explains, it is important that the victim be able to identify as soon as possible that what has happened to her "could lead to a major health problem immediately and in the long term," as happened to Anna Navarro.
The long list of consequences in the field of mental health that a sexual assault entails varies depending on the person and the situation experienced, but some of the most relevant consequences are anxiety, diffuse suffering, depression, general malaise or difficulties in social relationships. . Post-traumatic stress also appears, which can worsen over the years. The victim's relationship with others is influenced by what happened to her and when she explains it, it may worsen or that each piece of news re-victimizes her, the doctor points out.
And if the psychic sequelae are in the majority of the assaulted, in group aggression they are even "more intense" because the victims live a situation of "terror" of great intensity in which their lives are threatened, explains the psychiatrist. In 2022, group sexual assaults at the Clínic accounted for 10% of the total: there were 63.
Responding to this problem, the Clínic has prepared the document Self-help guide for women victims of a recent sexual assault that is given to all women who arrive at the hospital after suffering an episode of these characteristics. The guide includes the steps to follow to work towards recovery, and it details some of the symptoms that are common to have after a rape: fear and anxiety, a feeling of unreality, living in a state of permanent alert, avoidance, sadness, guilt, shame, changes in image and daily functioning, in addition to the risk of carrying out self-injurious behaviors or alcohol abuse.
Garcia-Esteve also explains that when an attack occurs there is a need to "disconnect" from the situation. Thus, the girl who was studying leaves her studies, other women leave their jobs or even change cities, she describes. For this reason, he points out that the slogan should be: that in the face of a sexual assault "health must be prioritized", which has been damaged. These people must have a specific follow-up to treat all these sequelae because they stage five times more suicide attempts than normal, he indicates. But he regrets that in many cases the victim ends up having to pay for more specialized treatments.
The psychiatrist points out the importance of denouncing to stop the rapist, but regrets that "we have become obfuscated" in the complaints and "we have not taken too much care of the victims." She also said that she is not acting with "due diligence" in sexual assault cases. She calls for the importance of women who have suffered rape having follow-up like the one offered at the Clínic as well as in specific centers where they can treat their aftermath. "Something must be done and it challenges the whole of society," warns Garcia-Esteve, who believes that this type of service is a way to "prevent silence."
