Victims of violence and psychiatric illness

Abstract

The relationship between physical and sexual abuse and psychiatric illness was studied. The life experiences of 188 male and female psychiatric patients were reconstructed through an in-depth examination of psychiatric inpatient records. Almost half of the patients had histories of physical and/or sexual abuse; 90% of the abused patients were victimized by family members. The abused patients'' responses to chronic victimization included difficulty in coping with anger and aggression, impaired self-esteem and inability to trust. Male and female victims are compared and the clinical implications of abuse are discussed.