How would you come to know that the female was sexually assaulted by the male
How would you come to know that the female was sexually assaulted by the male
Rape may result in the following:
-
Extragenital injury
-
Genital injury
-
Psychologic symptoms
-
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs—eg, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, trichomoniasis, HIV infection [rarely])
-
Pregnancy
Most physical injuries are relatively minor, but some lacerations of the upper vagina are severe. Additional injuries may result from being struck, pushed, stabbed, or shot.
Psychologic symptoms of rape are potentially the most prominent. In the short term, most patients experience fear, nightmares, sleep problems, anger, embarrassment, shame, guilt, or a combination. Immediately after an assault, patient behavior can range from talkativeness, tenseness, crying, and trembling to shock and disbelief with dispassion, quiescence, and smiling. The latter responses rarely indicate lack of concern; rather, they reflect avoidance reactions, physical exhaustion, or coping mechanisms that require control of emotion. Anger may be displaced onto hospital staff or family members.
Friends, family members, and officials often react judgmentally, derisively, or in another negative way. Such reactions can impede recovery after an assault.
Eventually, most patients recover; however, long-range effects of rape may include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly among women. PTSD is a trauma-related disorder; symptoms of PTSD include
-
Re-experiencing the trauma (eg, flashbacks, intrusive upsetting thoughts or images)
-
Avoidance (eg, of trauma-related situations, thoughts, and feelings)
-
Negative effects on cognition and mood (eg, persistent distorted blame of self or others, inability to experience positive emotions)
-
Altered arousal and reactivity (eg, sleep difficulties, irritability, concentration problems)
For PTSD to be diagnosed, symptoms must last for > 1 mo, must not be attributable to the physiologic effects of a substance or a medical disorder, and must significantly impair social and occupational functioning. Patients with PTSD often also have depression and/or other psychologic disorders (eg, substance use disorder).
Rape may result in the following:
-
Extragenital injury
-
Genital injury
-
Psychologic symptoms
-
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs—eg, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, trichomoniasis, HIV infection [rarely])
-
Pregnancy
Most physical injuries are relatively minor, but some lacerations of the upper vagina are severe. Additional injuries may result from being struck, pushed, stabbed, or shot.
Psychologic symptoms of rape are potentially the most prominent. In the short term, most patients experience fear, nightmares, sleep problems, anger, embarrassment, shame, guilt, or a combination. Immediately after an assault, patient behavior can range from talkativeness, tenseness, crying, and trembling to shock and disbelief with dispassion, quiescence, and smiling. The latter responses rarely indicate lack of concern; rather, they reflect avoidance reactions, physical exhaustion, or coping mechanisms that require control of emotion. Anger may be displaced onto hospital staff or family members.
Friends, family members, and officials often react judgmentally, derisively, or in another negative way. Such reactions can impede recovery after an assault.
Eventually, most patients recover; however, long-range effects of rape may include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly among women. PTSD is a trauma-related disorder; symptoms of PTSD include
-
Re-experiencing the trauma (eg, flashbacks, intrusive upsetting thoughts or images)
-
Avoidance (eg, of trauma-related situations, thoughts, and feelings)
-
Negative effects on cognition and mood (eg, persistent distorted blame of self or others, inability to experience positive emotions)
-
Altered arousal and reactivity (eg, sleep difficulties, irritability, concentration problems)
For PTSD to be diagnosed, symptoms must last for > 1 mo, must not be attributable to the physiologic effects of a substance or a medical disorder, and must significantly impair social and occupational functioning. Patients with PTSD often also have depression and/or other psychologic disorders (eg, substance use disorder).
