They experience fear, anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, nausea, chronic physical pain and depression. These symptoms are not only present as immediate reactions to the event, but in many cases are present for years. Many victims of sexual assault develop a post-traumatic stress syndrome that has been referred to as Rape Trauma Syndrome. Symptoms can include fear, helplessness, shock and disbelief, guilt, humiliation, embarrassment, anger, self-blame, flashbacks of the rape, avoidance of previously pleasurable activities, avoidance of the place or circumstances in which the rape occurred, depression, insomnia, and impaired memory. It is a crime that brings such a feeling of violation and intensity that every aspect of a victim s life seems to crumble apart.
Victims are often in fear of death and are always in fear of judgment and blame from others.
Many times traditional support systems such as friends, co-workers and family members are not available to victims. They may not understand what the victim is feeling and often have difficulty dealing with the assault themselves. They may question or blame the victim or just not realize the depth of pain that the victim is feeling. For these reasons, support that would be present in other situations is often lacking and victims feel alone. Their losses are far-reaching.