Have you ever wondered if the scars of child abuse haunt the victim only in their childhood or actually transcend into their teen and adult life? You probably would have guessed it right. The trauma of child abuse remains and in fact strengthens as the victim progress through life with unresolved feelings and stress. The article and video below discusses in detail the extrinsic or external affects observed on a victim of child abuse when they are into adulthood:
1. Addiction: Any addiction almost always occurs in order to fill in an internal void. Temporary pleasures derived through various methods give a false promise of “happiness” and a fake sense of security. Addictions observed in victims of child abuse usually entail the following:
- Alcohol Abuse: Can start as early in teens and progress steadily.
- Substance or drug abuse : When alcohol starts falling short of the fake promise, the “high” can be achieved only by going to the next level – usage of drugs like Methamphetamine (also known as crystal meth), cocaine, heroin etc gives the victim a temporary escape route from the suppressed pain.
- Sexual addiction: Another most commonly missed and the most underestimated addiction is sexual addiction which can vary in intensity from pornography usage and can unfortunately go all the way to self-mutilation and/or rape.
- Technology addiction : Can include TV, Internet, Gaming addictions
- Food addiction: Can be binging on certain kind of food or binge and purge like in Bulimia
- Emotional or relationship addiction : Engulfed by thoughts of only one person or one situation or one emotion
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2. Relationships: Lack of intimacy and low self-confidence almost guarantees obstacles in relationships in adulthood. Additionally, dual lives (often due to a veil of secrecy), guilt and addictions add further fuel to the fire. Following relationships are most commonly threatened:
- Dating and Marital
- Friendships
- Other social relationships like siblings, parents, children and acquaintances
3. Physical diseases
- Large weight changes/major changes in appetite
- Depression
- Phobias
- Sexually Transmitted Infections, especially if under 14 years old
- Pregnancy, especially if under 14 years old
4. Behavioral symptoms
- Unusual aggressiveness /anger
- Withdrawal or isolation
- Suicide attempts or self-harming, especially in adolescents
- Attempt to run away from home especially in adolescents
Mostly victims don’t know they are victims because mostly the memory is suppressed by the mind as a defense mechanism. However, all these external symptoms act as a feedback to the victim in order to attract attention to the unresolved feelings which desperately need a resolution.
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