Characteristics of Sexual Abuse Among Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (17) ◽  
pp. 2725-2744 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Kmett ◽  
Shaun M. Eack
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Violence Risk ◽  
Never Married ◽  
Psychiatric Admissions ◽  
Substance Dependent ◽  
Effects Of Sexual Abuse ◽  
Serious Mental Illnesses ◽  
Multiple Samples

The deleterious effects of sexual abuse (SA) are well documented, as many studies have found that SA can increase the risk for psychiatric disorders. While SA has been examined in multiple samples, no studies have examined the characteristics of SA in individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI). This study examined the prevalence rate and characterized the nature of SA among individuals with SMI who were under psychiatric care in three different inpatient facilities. Utilizing data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, 1,136 individuals with SMI were assessed for SA histories, psychiatric diagnoses, and other demographics. Nearly half of this sample ( n = 511) identified SA histories, with almost half indicating that the person was a stranger or someone outside of the family unit. One third reported SA occurred “too many times to count,” and approximately a third indicated the abuse consisted of intercourse, occurring at a mean age of 11.22 years. Results found that individuals with SA histories were often never married, Caucasian, female, had children, described themselves as psychologically unwell, and were commonly voluntary psychiatric admissions. Those with SA histories had significantly higher psychopathology and lower functioning, and were more likely to be diagnosed with depression but less likely to be substance dependent. Identifying SA characteristics in individuals with SMI is a critical component to successful treatment. Thorough screening and assessment of this common problem can help clinicians identify accompanying issues that may exacerbate SMI symptomology, and improve the prognosis for long-term outcomes.

#Me Too: Long-Term Effects of Sexual Abuse

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrima Bhattacharya ◽  
Kira Tilton ◽  
Hannah Willis
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Effects Of Sexual Abuse

scholarly journals Onnellinen mielisairaalapotilas? Poikkeavuus ja erilaisuuden rajankäynti elokuvassa Prinsessa

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kinnunen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Hospital ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Media Culture ◽  
Hospital Patient ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
Chief Physician ◽  
The One ◽  
Serious Mental Illnesses

Onnellinen mielisairaalapotilas? Poikkeavuus ja erilaisuuden rajankäynti elokuvassa PrinsessaKotimainen draamaelokuva Prinsessa (2010) on löyhästi tositapahtumiin pohjautuva tarina pitkäaikaisen mielenterveyspotilaan elämästä Kellokosken mielisairaalassa pääasiassa 1940–50-lukujen taitteessa. Artikkelissa elokuvaa pohditaan osana historiallisesti ja kulttuurisesti vahvaa mielisairaiden toiseuttamisen traditiota, joka on audiovisuaalisessa mediassa näkynyt mielenterveysongelmista kärsivien ihmisten yksinkertaistavina, esimerkiksi potentiaalista väkivaltaisuutta ja vaarallisuutta korostavina representaatioina. Parin viime vuosikymmenen aikana tuotetuissa kuvauksissa on kuitenkin alettu erottaa merkkejä myös aiempaa myönteisemmistä tulkinnoista.Artikkelissa esitetään, että Prinsessan ote psyykkisesti sairastavia ihmisiä ja poikkeavuuden määrittymistä kohtaan on emansipatorinen ja medikalisaatiokriittinen. Kyseenalaistamalla totunnaisia konventioita, kuten lääkäreiden ja mielenterveyspotilaiden hierarkkista eroa, elokuvassa korostetaan toistuvasti näkemystä, jonka mukaan poikkeavuuden ja normaaliuden sekä sairauden ja terveyden rajat ovat aina keinotekoisia ja kontekstisidonnaisia. Elokuvasta onkin hahmotettavissa viitteitä ymmärtävästä, hyväksyvästä otteesta ainakin persoonallista erilaisuutta ja lieviä mielenterveyden häiriöitä kohtaan. Näkökulma vakaviin mielisairauksiin, kuten skitsofreniaan, jää kuitenkin osin epäselväksi, sillä niiden esittäminen ja reflektointi eivät ole elokuvassa keskeisessä asemassa. A Happy Mental Hospital Patient? Deviance and Seeking its Boundaries in the Finnish Movie PrincessFinnish drama Princess (Prinsessa, 2010) is one of the latest audiovisual media representations concerning people with serious mental illnesses. It is a roughly true-based story about a long-term mental hospital patient who claims to be a real princess. In this article, the movie is discussed as a contemporary part of a long historical continuum of representations of insanity in the western (media) culture. The tone of the representations has traditionally been negative and emphasizing the deviant and potentially violent nature of people suffering from psychiatric problems. Yet, during the past two decades, there have been some signs of more positive portrayals.In the article, I argue that the general tone of the film is emancipatory and critical towards medicalization. The boundaries between normality and deviance and also between health and illness are represented as wavering, unclear, and strongly tied to the different perspectives and contexts. This is achieved by challenging the traditional hierarchy and differentiation between the doctors and the patients by questioning, for example, health and so called normality of a chief physician. However, the reflection of serious mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, has no significant role in the movie and with most main characters, their diagnoses remain unmentioned. That, on the one hand, emphasizes the difficulty in seeking and defining the boundaries between health and illness, but on the other hand, begs the question whether the sympathetic portrayal is valid only for mild mental disorders or merely marks personal differences without a label of sickness, thus further marginalizing serious mental illnesses.

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