Victims of childhood abuse can suffer symptoms in the immediate post-incident period, such as night terrors, harmful thoughts, withdrawal from friends, and bedwetting. Along with child and adolescent symptoms, adults have many conditions that continue late into their life from their past trauma. Let’s see the most common symptoms survivors of child sexual abuse suffer- a sexual abuse attorney can help you to get compensation for that pain.
How a sexual abuse attorney can help you work through your trauma and pain from childhood abuse
If you have been abused as a child, you may find that you are opening old wounds and bringing up old feelings that you thought were long gone. However, with trauma, it can show up at any point in your life unexpectedly – this means that traumatic incidents are not dealt with, which can lead to psychological problems, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. By getting the help you need with a sexual abuse attorney, you can find ways to psychologically cope with this horrible incident that happened to you in the past.
As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, you may find there are long-lasting feelings or “symptoms” that have occurred from your attack, rape, or consistent abuse as a child. Even if it was a one time or multiple incidents, it is traumatic nonetheless – you still are validated to feel the way that you feel, since our body and our mind have various ways of responding to trauma. In this case, you need to find coping mechanisms and skills that can help you understand what happened to you, process the trauma, and come out the other side stronger from it.
Try to be aware of the most common symptoms of childhood sexual abuse so you can notice any of these symptoms in yourself as you get older. Furthermore, being aware of child sexual abuse symptoms can help you keep an eye out for other people in your life, such as younger cousins, children of friends, or children you see in the neighborhood. Being aware of the most common symptoms can help keep yourself, and others, safe and healthy.
Typically, you may find that those who have been abused as a child have immediate symptoms when they are young that can provide clues as to what is happening to them. Children who have been abused, or who are currently being abused, may have nightmares, insomnia, sleep problems, be distracted during school or with friends, talks to older people instead of children their age, writes or draws scary images, mood swings, change in eating habits, has negative feelings about themselves, or uses adult-like behaviors, words, and expressions that are too old for them to know about.
Signs of child sexual abuse that can manifest as an adult include drug and alcohol use, sexual promiscuity, compulsive dieting, fear of intimacy or sex, suicide attempts, depression, self-harm acts, and anxiety. If you have any of these symptoms, contact a sexual assault lawyer so you can get the help you need to get your life back on track and heal old wounds.
Conclusion
If you have been the victim of child sexual abuse, you may find there are lingering symptoms that have followed into adulthood. If you have thoughts of self-harm, depressions, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, or drug/alcohol abuse, it is time to get the help you deserve for the symptoms of survivors of child sexual abuse.