Physical Effects of Being Raped
or Sexually Assaulted
 Anorexia Bulimia
Self
Injury Suicide
Depression PTSD Dissociative
Identity Disorder
What it is:
Anorexia is an eating disorder. A person suffering from Anorexia is obsessed with keeping
their weight down, usually to an very unhealthy extreme. Survivors are prone to anorexia
because it is a disease which thrives on low self-esteem, something that results from
sexual assault. Anorexia can be deadly and needs to be treated. In most cases this
involves dealing with the underlying cause of Anorexia, the trauma of sexual assault.
Warning Signs:
Abnormally afraid of becoming fat.
Calorie and/or fat gram counting.
Restriction of food.
Starvation dieting.
The use of diet pills to control
weight.
Amenorrhea - The absence of at least
three consecutive menstrual cycles.
Body weight less than 85% of that
expected for one's age and height.
Eating junk food (usually candy),
drinking a lot of coffee or tea, and/or smoking to control hunger pains.
What to do:
Anorexia is a serious disorder which needs immediate attention. Therapy is usually
necessary to deal with the underlying cause of anorexia and medical attention may be
necessary to repair the damage done by losing large amounts of weight.
What it is:
Bulimia is an eating disorder. A person suffering from bulimia binges (eats a large
quantity of food) and then purges (either induces vomiting or takes laxatives so that food
will not be digested and will pass directly through the body). Bulimia, like Anorexia can
be deadly and has underlying emotional causes.
Warning Signs:
Self-induced vomiting.
Using laxatives to prevent weight gain.
An obsession with gaining weight.
A fascination with food - buying
cookbooks and food magazines.
Rapid consumption of large amounts of
food.
Extreme guilt over food eaten.
What to do:
Like anorexia, bulimia is a serious disease which requires therapy and medical
attention to overcome. Dental work may be required to repair damage done to the back teeth
(the back teeth are coated with stomach acid when a person suffering from bulimia purges,
eating away the enamel and damaging the teeth).
What it is:
Self-Injury is deliberately harming oneself as a coping mechanism. It is caused by the
emotional stress that the person is incapable, for whatever reason, of dealing with. For
these people, Self-Injury is an escape, a way to relieve numbness, and an expression of
pain.
Warning Signs: Dysphoria
- Experiencing depression, irritability, tension and sensitivity to rejection.
Self-hate.
Chronic anger or anxiety.
Impulsiveness.
Unexplainable bruises, cuts or burns.
What to do:
In order to stop the urge to self-injure, therapy is necessary. There are also
constructive things one can do when they have the urge to self injure, such as: hitting a
punching bag, using a pillow to hit a wall, pillow-fight style, ripping up an old
newspaper or phone book, on a sketch or photo of yourself, marking in red ink what you
want to do then cutting and tearing the picture, making Play-Doh or Sculpey or other clay
models and cutting or smashing them, throwing ice into the bathtub or against a brick wall
hard enough to shatter it, breaking sticks. Put a finger into a frozen food (like ice
cream) for a minute, biting into a hot pepper or chewing a piece of ginger root, rubbing
liniment under your nose, slapping a tabletop hard, snapping your wrist with a rubber band
or taking a cold bath.
What it is:
Most often caused by depression, suicide is a successful attempt to take one's life.
Warning Signs:
Depression - feeling hopeless,
helpless, worthless.
Talking about or being obsessed with
death and/or suicide.
Loss of interest in things previously
considered important.
A sudden change in attitude. Suddenly
happier or calmer.
Suddenly visiting people one cares
about.
Giving things away and/or putting
affairs in order.
What to do:
If you believe you are suicidal, talk to a friend you trust, tell a counselor, call
RAINN at 1-800-656-HOPE or a suicide hotline in your area (you can find their number in
the phone book).
What it is:
Depression is an illness which manifests itself as severe or prolonged sadness which
interferes with a person's daily life and their ability to feel happy. People suffering
from depression often feel worthless and lose their will to live. Depression is the number
one cause of suicide.
Warning Signs:
Intense feelings of sadness,
hopelessness, worthlessness, or anxiety.
Loss of energy. Feeling tired all the
time.
Thoughts about death and suicide.
Decreased -- or increased -- sleeping
or appetite.
Difficulty in concentrating or
indecisiveness.
Mood swings.
Extreme irritability.
Impulsiveness that results in negative
consequences.
What to do:
The symptoms of depression are treated with prescription drugs such as Paxil, Zoloft or
Prozac. However, it is also important to seek counseling to treat the underlying cause of
the depression.
What it is:
PTSD is an anxiety disorder brought on by an extremely traumatic psychological event
(e.g. rape).
Warning Signs:
Flashbacks.
Nightmares.
Anxiety and/or Depression.
Sudden aggressive behavior.
Feelings of guilt.
Social withdrawal.
What to do:
The symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can be treated with an
anti-depressant and there are also many therapies available that have had success with
treating PTSD. The best thing to do is to find a counselor.
What it is:
A survival mechanism, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) occurs when extreme trauma
causes a person to compartmentalize their pain, thereby creating multiple personalities.
The onset of this disorder is in childhood, usually from ages three to nine, because it is
still possible for them to break their developing "self" into multiple
personalities.
Warning Signs:
Inability to recall important
personal information.
Impaired social functioning.
Assumption of a new identity.
Loss of time.
What to do:
Therapy is required to treat the symptoms of DID.
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, it's important to get professional treatment.
If you have any suggestions for this page, please email
me.
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