Sexual abuse victims have increased risk of psychiatric disorders

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- by Carol Forsloff - A new study shows that a history of sexual abuse corresponds significantly with a lifetime of multiple psychiatric disorders.

 

[caption id="attachment_10122" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Correlation Between Sexual Abuse and Depression"][/caption]




This  abuse is associated with mental illnesses regardless of the victim's age or sex.

Mayo Clinic researchers  found that a history of sexual abuse is associated with suicide attempts, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and eating and sleep disorders. Additionally, associations between sexual abuse and depression, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder were also associated with rape.

"Survivors of sexual abuse are commonly seen in general medical practice," says Ali Zirakzadeh, M.D., Mayo Clinic Division of General Internal Medicine, and principal investigator of the study. "Sexual abuse survivors face a challenging spectrum of physical and mental health symptoms, which results in high health care utilization, oftentimes without improvement in quality of life."

The study is particularly significant because of the high rates of sexual abuse in some populations which can range as high as 21 percent in adults and 33 percent in children. Furthermore, sexual abuse survivors can represent up to 25 percent of patient panels in primary care practices.

Some abuse survivors do not experience psychiatric symptoms, and research findings suggest that genetic variability may confer a level of protection. "The protective effect of certain genes against the development of psychiatric disorders in abuse survivors is an intriguing prospect.

If confirmed, future testing may more effectively identify victims of abuse who are at increased risk to develop psychiatric disease and lead to the development of better interventions and treatment" says Dr. Zirakzadeh.

Dr. Zirakzadeh adds, "The good news for patients is that physicians are now more aware of the link between abuse and psychiatric illness so that abuse survivors may be more readily identified and referred to specialists for treatment. We hope that heightened awareness in clinical practice leads to improved outcomes for our patients."