post-rape/molestation fears

[weyes]

if anyone can help shed light on this, please pm me .

[weyes]

[tastey]

what you need to search for is "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms" or just "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder". i pasted a short explanaition below.

cheers

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an extreme and usually chronic

emotional reaction to a traumatic event that severely impairs ones life; it

is classified as an anxiety disorder because of the similarity of symptoms.

Triggering Events. PTSD is triggered by events that are usually thought to

be outside the norm of human experience. Such events include, but are not

limited to, experiencing or even witnessing sexual assaults, accidents,

combat, or unexpected deaths in loved ones. PTSD may also occur in people

who have serious illness and receive aggressive treatments or who have

close family members or friends with such conditions.

Acute Stress Disorder. Experts have identified a syndrome called acute

stress disorder, which occurs within two days to four weeks after the

traumatic event, and can help predict who is at highest risk for PTSD. To

be diagnosed with acute stress disorder, victims should meet these

criteria:

1.They are exposed to traumatic events in which they witness or have been

confronted by an actual or potential threat of death, serious injury, or

physical harm (such as rape) to themselves or others. 2.Their response is

one of fear, helplessness, or horror. In addition, during or after these

experiences, they must have three or more of the following symptoms, which

indicate a psychological state known as dissociation: an emotional

numbness, being in a daze, a sense of losing contact with external reality,

a feeling of loss of self or identity, or inability to remember important

aspects of the event. 3.They persistently re-experience the trauma in at

least one of the following ways: in recurrent images, thoughts, flashbacks,

dreams, or feelings of distress at situations that remind them of the

traumatic event. 4.They avoid reminders of the event, such as thoughts,

people, or any other factors that trigger recollection. 5.They have

symptoms of anxiety or heightened awareness of danger (sleeplessness,

irritability, being easily startled, or becoming overly vigilant to unknown

dangers). 6.The emotional state significantly impairs normal function and

relationships, and they fail to seek necessary help. 7.The condition occurs

within four weeks of the event and lasts for at least two days and up to

four weeks. 8.The condition is not due to alcohol, medications, or drugs

and is not an intensification of a pre-existing psychologic disorder.

The criteria for acute stress disorder are accurate at identifying up to

94% of victims at risk, although between 50% and 80% actually develop PTSD.

In other words, it is very sensitive for identification of at highest

danger for PTSD and less successful in determining specifically who will or

will not recover emotionally.

Symptoms of PTSD Itself. The symptoms of PTSD are similar to those of acute

stress syndrome but they last beyond a month and are much more severe,

chronic (three months or more), or both. They can also occur months or even

years after the traumatic event. Children may engage in play or actions in

which the events are repetitively enacted. Other symptoms of PTSD may

include emotional withdrawal, phobic avoidance of reminders of the trauma

that become severe enough to impair personal and work relationships,

hopelessness, self-destructive behavior, personality changes, mood swings,

difficulty with sleep, anxiety disorders, and guilt over surviving the

event.

[weyes]

thanks, tastey (sorry for my late response; my internet connection's been down for 3 days), but i was looking for people with personal experiences. i should've been clearer.

[anotherway83]

heh there was a d00d who tried to molest me back when i was a kid, he failed (thank god), i'm over it but my mom isnt, to this day she thinks that i mite get raped by other men (im 20 and im str8 as can be) lol...im serious...so she gets all paranoid anytime i go out alone for more than 2 hrs