Understanding PTSD in Sexual Assault Survivors

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is so common among survivors of sexual assault that you cannot truly understand one without the other. When you are trying to understand sexual assault, you need to understand the impact it has on the survivor—and that impact often includes PTSD.

Understanding PTSD is not just important for the survivors but also for those who seek justice for them. A sexual assault and abuse lawyer will demand compensation from those who are liable for the violence you’ve suffered, and they will need to document your PTSD symptoms to determine your case value.

How does PTSD affect sexual assault survivors—and what legal action can they take?

PTSD is a common, life-altering consequence of sexual assault. Here's what survivors—and their advocates—should understand:

PTSD symptoms may include flashbacks, panic attacks, memory loss, and social withdrawal.
Half of female survivors develop PTSD; male survivors also face elevated risk.
Treatment can be expensive, and you shouldn't have to pay for the harm caused by your abuser.
A civil lawsuit can provide financial support for therapy, lost income, and emotional damages.
Attorneys handle everything—so you can focus on healing, not reliving trauma.

What Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Is (and What It May Look Like for Sexual Assault Survivors)

Post-traumatic stress disorder:

Is considered a “mental health condition” but can affect many aspects of your life
Is generally triggered by a highly stressful event or series of events, which a sexual assault certainly qualifies as
Can be identified by several symptoms, which collectively can cause immense distress and lost quality of life for the survivor
Is one of several types of harm survivors often endure after an assault

Symptoms of PTSD can vary among survivors, and any PTSD symptom can be a drain on your ability to live your life freely and fully. For a survivor, post-traumatic stress disorder might:

Alter how you think: “Cognition and mood symptoms” are one of the hallmarks of PTSD. These symptoms may include memory deficits, self-blame, trouble sleeping, lack of concentration, and other distressing problems. What you once took for granted might no longer be routine—or even possible—once you develop PTSD.
Cause signs of physical distress: Post-traumatic stress disorder can be a physical condition. You may feel the general sense of being “on edge.” Panic attacks, irritability, abnormal alertness, and reckless behavior can be symptoms of PTSD.
Produce flashbacks, nightmares, and other “re-experiencing” symptoms: Trauma has a way of lingering. One symptom of PTSD is the recurrence of intrusive memories, which may occur both while you are awake and asleep.
Change your daily routine and limit your life due to avoidance symptoms: Those with PTSD are known to avoid circumstances that may cause them distress. This avoidance may be conscious or subconscious. Those who are beholden to such avoidant behaviors may not engage in activities they typically enjoy—that is how overwhelming symptoms of PTSD can be.

Remember that each of these and other PTSD symptoms have their roots in the sexual assault the survivor suffered. This means that the abuser and any other liable parties are ultimately responsible for this truly life-altering condition.

How Prevalent Is PTSD Among Survivors of Sexual Violence?

One study found that half of female sexual assault survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Male survivors of sexual assault also face a heightened risk of developing PTSD, as well as many other forms of harm that result from sexual violence.

There is even a specific form of PTSD called rape trauma syndrome. This condition is necessary because the type of trauma suffered by survivors of sexual misconduct is unlike other types of trauma, even though there can be an overlap in symptoms.

It’s important to note that symptoms of PTSD do not always abide by logic. Even if someone who commits a sexual assault is imprisoned, for example, the survivor may continue to experience fear, panic, avoidance, and other symptoms that indicate a clear and present threat.

You Deserve Treatment for PTSD, and You Shouldn’t Have to Pay For It.

Nobody deserves to pay the price for traumatic events that were entirely out of their control. While you have already paid a price emotionally, psychologically, and physically, you should not have to pay for the financial cost of treatment.

Some of the treatments that may alleviate your PTSD symptoms include the following:

Talk therapy
Exposure therapy
Pharmaceutical remedies
Stress inoculation training
Cognitive processing therapy

You may have already tried such treatments to little or no avail. There may be more effective care out there, as the field of PTSD treatment is ever-evolving. You deserve the financial freedom to explore all remedies that can prove effective, and a lawyer will fight to ensure you have such freedom.

How to Get Justice for a Sexual Assault. No, Criminal Proceedings Are Not Your Only Recourse.

Criminal prosecution of those who perpetrate sexual assault is necessary and just. Imposing criminal penalties on an abuser can also provide some benefit to the survivor, including some peace of mind (particularly if the perpetrator is imprisoned).

However, criminal penalties hardly address all the effects a survivor faces. You should also receive compensation to fund mental health treatment and medical care. Compensation should also reflect the non-economic effects of sexual violence, including PTSD.

Call a sexual abuse attorney. They will lead your case for justice, and the benefits of hiring a lawyer include:

Not Having to Re-Experience the Details of the Assault

One fact about getting justice for survivors is that to get justice, one must re-experience the facts of the assault. This can be immensely painful and ultimately detrimental if the survivor is the one handling their case. Instead, trust an attorney to:

Fight for you tirelessly (many survivors are astounded by the degree to which their attorney is invested in their financial recovery and well-being)
Actively protect you from the details of your case—you and your lawyer will determine exactly how involved you want to be and which details they should spare you from
Address the details of the assault as compassionately as possible, as they may need to get your account of events and consult you about certain case-related details

You can get justice without reliving an immensely traumatic period in your life. However, you may have to hire a trusted sex abuse attorney to achieve this goal.

Getting Total Financial Support (and Other Resources) from Your Law Firm

The legal system comes with many fees and costs. This should not deter you, as the financial result of sexual abuse cases often covers these unavoidable expenses. You should also know that your lawyer will provide several resources, including financial support.

Attorneys support their clients by:

Covering court fees
Hiring mental health professionals, medical professionals, and other experts to contribute to their clients’ cases
Performing their services with no upfront compensation—they only receive a fee if they secure compensation for the client, and the fee comes as a percentage of the financial recovery
Making other investments in the case

Your attorney will also support you. They will make sure you get any mental health services, medical care, and other resources for your recovery. In this way, you get more than a lawyer when you hire a lawyer—you get a support system to lean on during this critical time in your life.

Being Able to Sue Without Issue and Go to Trial If You Need To

Many survivors of sexual assault need to file a lawsuit, as opposed to filing an insurance claim. While some types of insurance can cover sexual assault claims, there’s a significant possibility that you will ultimately elect to sue.

Filing lawsuits is what attorneys do. They understand the formatting, language, filing procedures, and many other wrinkles that lawsuits entail. Critically, lawyers also understand what is necessary to complete a lawsuit successfully.

Remaining Focused on Your Recovery

Survivors need to heal, and recovery takes time and effort. You deserve the chance to put everything you have into your recovery. Even as you undergo treatment and begin to heal, you may also be juggling work obligations, your family life, personal relationships, and countless other obligations. Let a lawyer help. You deserve it.

How Your Lawyer Will Build Your Case Against the Perpetrator (and Any Other Liable Parties)

When you begin speaking with sex abuse attorneys about your case, you will get a sense of each lawyer’s unique process. Attorneys use different case strategies, legal philosophies, and tactics to get justice for survivors like you.

There are some common responsibilities that most sexual assault attorneys handle for each of their clients, and they are:

Protecting Your Case from Bad Faith

It does not matter how clear the evidence of your assault may be. Liable parties will not want to pay you. This is a fact that lawyers know well, and your attorney will be prepared for:

Allegations that you are fabricating the assault
Claims that you are fabricating or exaggerating damages
A lowball settlement offer
A countersuit
Other bad-faith tactics

You may face such bad faith even if the perpetrator has been criminally convicted of sexually assaulting you. Your lawyer will ensure that none of these tactics stick.

Proving the Sexual Assault

It’s important to prove the details of the sexual assault. Doing so will establish that liable parties are responsible for the harm you’ve suffered.

This is one of the stages of your case that your lawyer will protect you from. They may secure police records, witness testimony, video footage, your account, and several other forms of evidence. Along the way, your lawyer will ensure you don’t have to face any assault-related details that you don’t want to.

Your lawyer must show every way in which the abuser has affected your life. Some documentation that may be useful for your case includes:

Medical records supporting your account of events
Medical professionals’ testimony about current physical symptoms resulting from the assault
Medical bills
Experts’ projections of any future medical care you may need
Mental health professionals’ evaluation of PTSD and other assault-related pain and suffering
Financial records showing the economic cost of the assault

Your lawyer will present this documentation to those who owe you compensation. If those parties contest your case or push back in any way, this documentation should prove that you are entitled to compensation.

Negotiating on the Survivor’s Behalf

Going to trial may be necessary. However, seeking a settlement is typically a better first option.

Generally speaking, settlements are less time-intensive, costly, and risky than trials. If liable parties are willing to negotiate in good faith, they may eventually be willing to pay the compensation you deserve. Many sexual assault survivors have gotten justice through settlements, and you may, too.

Handling Any Lawsuit and Trial the Survivor Wants to Pursue

Your sex abuse lawyer will communicate. If it appears that filing a lawsuit or going to trial are considerations, your lawyer will discuss these steps with you.

If you ultimately decide to pursue legal action, your attorney will continue to fight for you in the civil justice system.

Damages Survivors Deserve Compensation For, Including PTSD Symptoms

A financial recovery does not immediately heal all the scars that a sexual abuser causes. However, fair compensation can:

Cover all the medical care and mental health services you need
Enable you to access treatment and resources that you do not currently have access to
Account for harm to your career
Alleviate financial stress
Improve your quality of life

Importantly, a financial recovery can also force liable parties to be accountable for the severe harm they’ve caused you. Your attorney will account for all the damages you deserve compensation for, which may include:

Mental Health Services

Your lawyer will work with you and your mental health service providers to determine the cost of all assault-related treatments you pursue.

Pain and Suffering

You deserve compensation for your treatment. Survivors can also seek compensation for the symptoms they’re seeking treatment for.

Pain and suffering can include PTSD, physical pain, emotional anguish, lost quality of life, and several other non-economic challenges.

Lost Income

If the fallout from a sexual assault has cost you income or imposed other professional harm, your lawyer will seek compensation for those damages.

Medical Expenses

All of your assault-related medical expenses will be part of your lawyer’s case. Let your sex abuse attorney begin documenting your damages today, and they will waste no time in pursuing the compensation you deserve.

Retain Your Sexual Abuse and Assault Lawyer as Soon as Possible

Justice cannot wait, especially because there may be a deadline for filing your sexual assault lawsuit. Do not wait to retain your sex abuse lawyer, they are standing by to fight for you.

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