Understanding the Feeling of Despair After Sexual Abuse

[Tautoko Mai]

Depression and despair are two different emotional tendencies. But when it comes to child sexual abuse, both feelings are pretty much linked and connected to each other. As we can see, thousands of children are sexually abused each year. This unfortunate reality then results to different types of negative consequences for the victims. And the worst part is that most of the symptoms of child sexual abuse continue to exist even after years when the abuse took place. sexually assaulted hamilton

One of the most obvious effects is despair. It is basically an emotional state where victims significantly lose hope and confidence to themselves. It happens when the painful memories of the abuse consume them bit by bit. A great number of them may even reach a point where the pain and trauma is just too much to bear; they end up putting an end to their lives. Despair makes victims lose hope for the future.

Depression on the other hand is a general feeling of sadness, guilt, hopelessness, and anxiety. When victims allow themselves to be consumed by the trauma of the abuse, the most likely scenario would be that they will suffer from prolonged depression. sexual abuse helpline

By the time a child is abused, the feeling of despair does not automatically appear. What happens more often is that child victims show a combination of fear and confusion. At this point, they appear to lack the capacity to respond. But as time passes and the victims grow with age and reason, they begin to exhibit the feelings of powerlessness and guilt. If these two emotions are internalized, it will then lead to self-hatred and pity being intensified from within.

While we can think of the lost of hope and confidence as normal, for victims of child sexual abuse, it can be devastating. Despair is the very same thing that kills optimism, motivation, and the sense of purpose. It is characterized by the victims' longing to get rid of oneself or perhaps change the very their own person. have I been assaulted

It's quite sad to note that when child victims start to realize what had happened to them, that's also the time they begin to manifest the feeling of despair. They would begin telling themselves: "I am not the same person anymore after the sexual abuse," "Because I was abused, this life is not worth living anymore." These kinds of sentiments are natural responses. However, they can also be the reason why most victims of child sexual abuse cannot move on - simply because they let the feeling of despair dwell in their hearts and minds.

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