Here are some symptoms I thought everyone mgiht find interesting when it comes to child sexual abuse.
Characteristics of Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA)
Fear/Shame/Guilt/Powerlessness/Helplessness/Betrayal/Dissociation
Sexual abuse creates fear, shame and guilt in the victimised child. Physical damage may heal but the emotional and psychological scars remain for a long time. Perhaps the most severe damage is caused by betrayal.
Betrayal by an adult, especially when that adult is supposed to be protecting and caring for the child, is a devastating experience.
The Fear has several components: anticipation of pain, anticipation of disapproval by the perpetrator and worry about threats to other family members.
Shame seems to be built into most of us, especially when the abuse is incestuous. There's also the possibility that the victim absorbs the abuser's shame and guilt.
Guilt is often felt by a survivor because she or he has become sexually aroused during the abuse. Guilt is also frequently felt when the survivor does -- or doesn't -- report the abuse. Many survivors feel guilty because they went back for more, or didn't say No.
The helplessness and powerlessness of a child assaulted by an adult is real, terrifying and breeds lasting consequences.
Dissociation -- the separation of mind from body -- enables a child to survive the horror by imagining that the abuse is happening to someone else.
Symptoms in Adult Survivors
Among the effects of CSA are the following. Sometimes these symptoms do not appear for decades.
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Distrust
Sexual hangups
Physical ailments
Depression
Guilt
Fear
Anger
Confusion
Self-mutilation
Relationship difficulties
Self-doubt
Voices
Hallucinations
Suicidal thoughts
Addictions
Powerlessness
Helplessness
Negativity.
Nightmares
These may be direct images, almost recollections, of the abuse or they may be symbolic. While non-abused people also suffer occasional nightmares, survivors experience repetitious, terrifying dreams in which they feel helpless and suffocatingly trapped.
Flashbacks
Sickening sensory images suddenly occur which vividly bring back the sights, sounds, physical and emotional feelings of the abuse.
Distrust
With good cause, survivors are usually distrustful of the opposite sex, authority figures -- and themselves.
Sexual hangups
Inhibitions and fears about sexual activity range from mild to severely disturbed.
Physical ailments
The emotional, psychological and physical stress of abuse often takes its toll in physical illness as the body remembers being betrayed.
Depression
Feelings of worthlessness, apathy, self-loathing, can drown a survivor.
Guilt
A mixture of self-blame for the activity, feeling bad about hating the abuser, horror at partial enjoyment, and possibly, absorption of some of the abuser's guilt feelings.
Fear
Childhood abuse teaches the victim that the world is an untrustworthy place. Fear can infiltrate every aspect of the survivor's life.
Anger
Unfortunately often directed inward, anger can be a liberating emotion when the survivor directs it at the appropriate targets.
Confusion
Uncertainty about what the abuse means (how can pain be love? Why is a caretaker betraying me?) overwhelms the child -- and festers in the adult.
Self-mutilation
To avoid the pain and guilt of blaming the perpetrator (especially in cases of incest) the victim may physically hurt herself or himself. Self-mutilation ranges from tattoos and n****e-rings to sexual violence and enemas. [HW writes: "tattoos and body piercings are considered a beautiful thing by some individuals. These practices are celebrated, not condemmed, by many tribes and cultures around the world."]
Relationship difficulties
Clearly a distrustful, confused, angry survivor is likely to have difficulties relating with other people.
Self-doubt
Childhood sexual abuse is frequently accompanied with verbal abuse. Accusations of being stupid make a deep impression on a helpless, victimised child. This feeling of powerlessness persists into adulthood.
Voices
Frequently the various parts of the survivor, including the derogatory messages about being bad, stupid, unwanted, unlovable, etc., are heard as thoughts or even sounds.
Hallucinations
Somewhat like Flashbacks but which the survivor sees in front of her, like blood on the bathroom floor.
Hallucinations may also be "negative", i.e., not seeing something (like car keys) which are actually there.
Suicidal thoughts
Self-blame to the extreme. When the pain becomes too much to bear, suicide may seem to be the ultimate solution.
Addictions
Slow suicide. Also an attempt to dampen down the pain. May range from the legal (alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, prescription drugs) to the illegal (prostitution, street drugs).
Powerlessness
A feeling of having been stripped of dignity and effectiveness.
Helplessness
A feeling of being held down, of being directed by others.
Negativity
Generally noticing what's wrong, rather than what's right. Expecting the worst.
All this information was found at:
http://www.hypnosis.org/overcomingCSA.htm