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Are Adult Women Who Have Been Sexually Abused as Children at Greater Risk for Suicidal Thinking?
Mental health professionals have long wondered about the
relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult mental health. An article
published in Medical News Today June 9, 2009, “'Strong Link' Between Childhood
Sexual Abuse And Suicide Attempts In Women,” examines this issue. The article
reports on the results of a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Royal
College of Psychiatrists in Liverpool. The
researchers studied, “…..data from the 2000 National Psychiatric Morbidity
Survey.” The results of the study were concerning. “…sexual abuse was three
times more common in women than men - some 1.6 per cent of men report sexual
abuse, compared to 5.2 per cent of women….Women attempt to kill themselves more
often than men (3.5 per cent of women compared to 5.1 per cent of women) and the
number of suicide attempts attributable to sexual abuse was stronger in women
than men….sexual abuse in childhood made women far more likely than men to
attempt suicide…women react to trauma more strongly than men, perhaps
accounting for the strong link between sexual abuse and suicide.” There are a
number of important implications of this study. First, adult women with
childhood sexual abuse histories should consult a qualified mental health
professional to determine their current and future risk of suicidal thinking.
Second, mental health professionals who treat adult women with childhood sexual
abuse histories should routinely screen for suicidal thinking in these
patients. Third, spouses of adult women with childhood abuse histories should
educate themselves with the help of a qualified mental health professional to
understand the current and future risk of suicide in these women. Fourth, public
health professionals should educate the public about the link between childhood
sexual abuse and the risk of suicide in adult women. The researchers state,
“….[Women] who have been sexually abused have low self esteem, ironically blame
themselves for the abuse, and all their levels of confidence about all sorts of
things are reduced…Lowering your self esteem like that is associated with all
sorts of mood symptoms and these are the bed out of which arises suicidal
ideation. A proportion of those will then go on to attempt suicide and of those
some will be successful."
The researchers conclude, “…psychiatrists [must] deal with the issue of sexual
abuse in a more forceful way…finding out whether a patient had been sexually
abused opened up the possibility of treatment, as there were specific ways a
psychiatrist could intervene and help….The patient may have post-traumatic
stress disorder and you can treat that; they may have low self esteem and you
can address that too and you might make life better for that person and they
will be less inclined to think of suicide."
The Bottom Line:
The results of this study strongly suggest that childhood sexual abuse
increases the risk of suicide in adult women.
Sources: See blogposts in Psychiatric Disorders: General
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