It is important for parents, teachers, caregivers, social workers to be aware of the symptoms that children who have experienced violence or harassment suffer from. This can help to recognize the problem in time, protect the child, provide him with assistance and notify law enforcement agencies, psychoanalyst Michaela Bernard is convinced.
All too often I hear stories of adults who didn’t notice what was happening to their child, or attributed the disturbing changes in his behavior to temperament, age. Therefore, I will list 11 mental problems that children who are victims of sexual abuse or harassment often face.
This list is not a diagnostic guide and should not replace professional advice. I have tried to bring together the typical symptoms that cause people to seek the help of a therapist. The list is far from complete, and each symptom individually can be caused by other reasons. Depending on the age, characteristics of the trauma experienced, the temperament and resilience of each person, symptoms can manifest themselves in different ways.
1. Dissociation (feeling of alienation from oneself) is probably the most common defense mechanism by which the psyche tries to protect itself from the trauma caused by sexual abuse. The mind seems to escape from the body in situations of extreme stress, feelings of powerlessness, severe pain and suffering.
2. Self-harm. Survivors of severe trauma inflict physical harm on themselves in an attempt to cope with the emotional and psychological pain that torments them. Studies show that cutting leads to the release of endorphins, which give a temporary feeling of peace and tranquility.
3. Anxiety and fear. In survivors of sexual abuse, the body’s response system to stress is often overactive. This is manifested in the strongest bouts of fear, social phobia, panic attacks. The body seems to be constantly on the alert and cannot relax.
4. Nightmares. Victims of violence, like war veterans, are tormented by intrusive painful memories and nightmares.
5. Alcoholism and drug addiction. People who have experienced severe mental trauma often try to find solace in alcohol and drugs. Experimenting with drugs during adolescence is not normal, especially if the adolescent is aware of the possible consequences.
6. Hypersexuality. This is a typical reaction to an early and traumatic sexual experience. If a child very early begins to regularly masturbate, show sexual interest (in games or in life), most often this is a sign that he was a witness or participant in some kind of adult sexual activity. In adolescence and adulthood, hypersexuality can manifest itself in promiscuity, prostitution, filming pornographic films.
7. Psychotic manifestations. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse often experience paranoia, hallucinations, and brief psychosis.
8. Mood swings, outbursts of anger, irritability. Children often find it difficult to express their feelings in words, so they show them through actions. Sometimes adults do the same. People who have been severely traumatized often suffer from mood swings, irritability, and brain disturbances that can lead to depression, mania, anxiety, and temper tantrums.
9. Relationship problems, difficulty maintaining long-term friendships or romantic relationships. Victims of harassment often lose trust in others, become fearful of people, so it is difficult for them to maintain long-term relationships based on mutual trust.
10. Regression (mainly in children). Enuresis (nighttime urination in bed) and encopresis (involuntary bowel movements) in a potty trained child, sudden and unexplained tantrums or outbursts of anger, unusual impulsiveness or obsessive attention seeking, and other abrupt changes in behavior can often be a sign of what’s wrong something terrible.
11. Physiological, psychosomatic and autoimmune disorders. Many physicians and psychotherapists have written that memories of trauma seem to be stored in our body as the mind pushes them away. In psychoanalysis, they are called unconscious, because they often manifest themselves imperceptibly to the person himself. When the unthinkable happens, the mind is saved by using the body to express experiences that cannot be expressed in words.
About the author: Michaela Bernard is a counseling psychologist and psychoanalyst who works with children and adolescents.