scholarly journals Sexual abuse of the mentally handicapped: difficulties in establishing prevalence

1991 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 601-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Buchanan ◽  
Robert Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Mentally Handicapped ◽  
Mental Handicap ◽  
Mental Health Legislation ◽  
Management Positions ◽  
The Right ◽  
Health Legislation

That adults with mental handicap∗ are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation is not new, although relatively unacknowledged or investigated. Indeed successive acts under the mental health legislation have sought to protect them, particularly those with severe mental handicap. With the growing awareness and identification of sexual abuse of children, and the growing knowledge of the long-term psychological effects (Jehu, 1989), which may be even more severe for people who have disabilities (Kennedy, 1990; Sinason, 1989), it has been acknowledged that not only are the mentally handicapped particularly vulnerable to abuse (Benedict et al, 1990), but the problem may well be seriously underestimated by those working in management positions (Brown & Craft, 1989). While it is recognised that the mentally handicapped have rights and need to express their sexuality, they also have the right not to be exploited or abused. We therefore need to know more about the numbers, indicators and circumstances where this group may be sexually abused and to develop policies, systems and training to protect them (Brown & Craft, 1989). This pilot study was a step in this process.

scholarly journals How Pediatricians Can Deal with Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused by Family Members

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Ruth Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
The Family ◽  
Short And Long Term

The present paper discusses children who have been the victims of sexual abuse in their own family. It focuses on the special role of pediatricians and medical staff in identifying such children and providing them with initial assistance by reporting the situation to the authorities. The first part of the paper surveys the short- and long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse, including the physical and emotional impact of sexual exploitation and severe neglect. This section discusses the symptoms shown by abused children, and how they express and deal with their trauma. It is extremely important for pediatricians to be sensitive to the possibility of patients being abused at home, as this is an area still largely regarded as a societal taboo. Also included in this section a discussion of the effects that are manifested when the victim has grown to adulthood, such as personality disorders. The second part of the paper deals with how pediatricians must act when they encounter such a situation in which they suspect sexual abuse in the family. They should strive to identify the problem and bring it to the attention of the authorities. Discovery of the problem is the most vital part of the path to the victim's recovery. The paper also discusses the aspect of treatment, advising doctors who encounter this problem on ways of dealing with it.

Behaviour disturbance and mental handicap: typology and longitudinal trends

1984 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 923-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Leudar ◽  
W. I. Fraser ◽  
M. A. Jeeves
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Mood Disturbance ◽  
Behavioural Disturbance ◽  
Mentally Handicapped ◽  
Longitudinal Stability ◽  
Mental Handicap ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Antisocial Conduct

SynopsisBehaviour disturbance was investigated in mentally handicapped adults who were living in hospital or at home. The first part of the study describes an empirically derived typology of disturbed behaviour patterns and gives the details of a scale by means of which behaviour disturbance can be quantified along six dimensions: aggression, mood disturbance, communicativeness, antisocial conduct, idiosyncratic mannerisms, and self-injury. The second part of the study used the scale in a longitudinal study of behavioural disturbance. Different forms of disturbed behaviour exhibited different kinds of longitudinal stability, and the long-term changes in one aspect of disturbance depended on subjects' other disturbance scores.

Abuse of mentally handicapped adults

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 608-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila B. Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Mentally Handicapped ◽  
Mental Handicap ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Personal Involvement ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Physical And Sexual Abuse

In spite of all the publicity in recent years about child abuse, very little mention has been made of another group of people who are also very vulnerable to abuse, namely adults with a mental handicap. Although chronologically adults, and therefore not susceptible to the laws designed to protect children, they may be functioning intellectually and emotionally at a much lower level. Because they are often dependent on other people for many aspects of their care, this makes them vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse and neglect. Difficulties with speech and communication may render them unable to inform anyone of their plight or ask for help, therefore many problems remain hidden. Personal involvement in one such case made me aware of this problem and the current lack of legal protection for this group of people. I therefore undertook a national survey in order to gain more information on the prevalence of abuse, factors associated with it, and possible legal solutions.

Dyads and triads of abuse, bereavement and separation: a survey in children attending a child and family centre

1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 131-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Declan Sheerin
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Presentation Rate ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Parental Separation ◽  
Child Psychiatric ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

AbstractObjectives: To determine the frequency with which abuse, parental separation and bereavement occur on their own or together in children attending child psychiatry services and to assess the relationship between these traumas and attendance and outcome.Method: A review of all case notes over a 12 month period (n = 435) was conducted and a proforma completed. Information was gathered on clinical presentation, rate of attendance, the presence of sexual abuse, non-sexual abuse including bullying, bereavement and parental separation and a measurement of outcome by subjective assessment was made.Results: Fifty-nine per cent of the children had experienced at least one of the specified traumas; 13% had experienced two and 2.5% had experienced three. The children who had been abused or bereaved were more likely to require fairly long-term work; those who were adjusting to parental separation required less intervention over time. The children who had been sexually abused had, relatively, the poorest outcome in contrast to those adjusting to bereavement where 87% were considered to have made significant improvement.Conclusions: Bereavement, abuse and parental separation are common in children referred to the child psychiatric services and these children often require long-term intervention. Increased resources will be required in order to continue to provide adequate intervention and treatment for these children.

scholarly journals Jurisdiction of Mental Health Tribunals to Provide Positive Remedies: Application, Challenges, and Prospects

2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-298
Author(s):  
Joaquin Zuckerberg
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Adequate Care ◽  
Mental Health Legislation ◽  
The Right ◽  
Health Legislation ◽  
State Interference

Modern mental health legislation protects the civil rights of the mentally ill by limiting the scope of permissible state interference with an individual’s autonomy. It also generally sets up mental health tribunals in charge of reviewing compliance with parts of the legislation. However, the legislation does not generally address the right to adequate mental health care. The latter (or its lack thereof) has increasingly become a source of debate among scholars and policy makers. The right to adequate care is increasingly being seen as the sine qua non of the civil rights of the mentally ill. This article explores recent Canadian jurisprudence dealing with the power of administrative tribunals to address constitutional and quasi-constitutional claims, and questions whether such power could give rise to a claim for adequate health care before mental health tribunals. It argues that, subject to some limited circumstances where mental tribunals have been given certain discretion to factor adequate care into their decisions, the recent Canadian jurisprudence does not significantly modify the limited remedies available before mental health tribunals.

scholarly journals Domestic sexual child abuse: Social and social-cultural aspects

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-321
Author(s):  
Zh. V. Puzanova ◽  
V. M. Filippov ◽  
M. A. Simonova ◽  
T. I. Larina
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
Social Service Organizations ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
Court Proceedings ◽  
Victims Of Violence

The ratification of the Lanzarote Convention by Russia in 2013 entails several issues that cannot be resolved without the help of social-humanitarian sciences. Information from sociology, psychology, and jurisprudence has been used to create a concept for the empirical study of the domestic violence against children - to improve the implementation of the Convention in Russia. The concept considers two aspects of the problem - social and social-cultural. The article presents the Russian experience of how the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse are implemented. The authors analyze statistical data on the number of families in which a sexually abused child is brought up; the number of abortions and childbirths by minors; the number of minors in educational colonies; the work of the childrens helpline; the number of mediation services; the number of social service organizations for families and children; the number of professionals working with children in programs aimed at preventing and protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse; the number of organizations providing psychological-pedagogical and medical-social assistance; the number of specialized multifunctional centers providing assistance to families and child victims of sexual abuse; the number of specialized green rooms for investigating crimes related to minors; the number of specialists accompanying minors who have come into conflict with the law at all stages of the investigation and court proceedings; the number of professionals trained under the Child Sexual Violence Protection Program and now assisting families and child victims of violence. The article will be useful for readers who study the implementation of the Lanzarote Convention and the issues of child sexual abuse and domestic violence.

scholarly journals In relative danger? The outcome of patients discharged by their nearest relative from sections 2 and 3 of the Mental Health Act

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 50-54
Author(s):  
Philip Shaw ◽  
Matthew Hotopf ◽  
Anthony Davies
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Outcome ◽  
Poor Clinical Outcome ◽  
Retrospective Case ◽  
Mental Health Act ◽  
Mental Health Legislation ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
The Right ◽  
Health Legislation ◽  
Control Cohort Study

Aims and Method Among the proposed changes in the current review of mental health legislation in England and Wales is the abolition of the right of the nearest relative to discharge patients from assessment and treatment orders (Sections 2 and 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983). We aimed to determine the clinical outcome of patients whose nearest relative applies for discharge. A retrospective case–control cohort study in a south London NHS Trust of 51 patients successfully discharged by their nearest relative and 33 patients whose nearest-relative applications were blocked by the treating psychiatrist on the grounds of ‘dangerousness'. Results Patients discharged from section by their nearest relative did not differ significantly from controls in all the measures of clinical outcome examined. Clinical Implications This study suggests that discharges by the nearest relative against psychiatric advice are not associated with a poor clinical outcome.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Considerations for Rehabilitation Counsellors

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kylie Dearn ◽  
Lynda R. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Childhood Sexual Abuse ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Professional Collaboration ◽  
Significant Percentage ◽  
Long Term Impact

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a frequently occurring event that has a strong and lasting impact on adult functioning. A significant percentage of adults who are sexually abused as children subsequently meet the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and demonstrate an increased vulnerability toward further traumatisation. Despite the likelihood that rehabilitation counsellors will encounter clients with this history, published literature on the contribution of rehabilitation counsellors to work with adults who were abused as children is limited. This report discusses ways rehabilitation counsellors can contribute to the inter-professional collaboration required to achieve a reduction in impact of disability and handicap associated with the long-term impact of CSA.

Providing a community mental handicap service

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 20-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Hall ◽  
L. F. Pieri
Keyword(s):  
Royal College ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Medical Audit ◽  
Mentally Handicapped ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Mental Handicap

It is acknowledged that assessing ‘consumer satisfaction’ is an important part of medical audit (The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1991). For the mentally handicapped, it can be argued that ‘carer satisfaction’ is particularly relevant. This is particularly so at a time when the ‘community’ is being advocated as the preferred setting for the long-term care of the mentally handicapped, the families and neighbours of the handicapped being the main providers of this ‘community care’ (Griffiths, 1988).

Protecting the Rights of People with Mental Disabilities:The European Convention on Human Rights

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Reform ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Mental Disability ◽  
Mental Health Legislation ◽  
Degrading Treatment ◽  
The Right ◽  
Health Legislation ◽  
Relative Scarcity

AbstractThis paper will analyse the essential legal requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights which touch on the lives (and deaths) of people with mental disabilities. It will examine the procedural safeguards which must be followed when involuntarily detaining a person under mental health legislation; access to a court to test the lawfulness of detention; the requirement to be free from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence; and the right to life, including investigation after a death. The paper will discuss some of the factors which explain the relative scarcity of mental disability cases decided by the Strasbourg Court. In conclusion there will be an examination of the role of lawyers and other key players in mental disability, and how stakeholders can move forward to prompt much needed social reform.

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