The long-term influence of sexual assault on the mental health of victims

The Language Conceptual Formation to Inspire Intelligent Systems

The semantic web invests in systems that work collaboratively. In this article we show that the collaborative way is not enough, because the system must ‘understand’ the data resources that are provided to it, to organize them in the direction indicated by the system’s core, the algorithm. In order for intelligent systems to imitate human cognition, in addition to technical skills to model algorithms, we show that the specialist needs a good knowledge of the principles that explain how human language constructs concepts. The content of this article focuses on the principles of the conceptual formation of language, pointing to aspects related to the environment, to logical reasoning and to the recursive process. We used the strategy of superimposing the dynamics of human cognition and intelligent systems to open new frontiers regarding the formation of concepts by human cognition. The dynamic aspect of the recursion of the human linguistic process integrates visual, auditory, tactile input stimuli, among others, to the central nervous system, where meaning is constructed. We conclude that the human linguistic process involves axiomatic (contextual/biological) and logical principles, and that the dynamics of the relationship between them takes place through recursive structures, which guarantee the construction of meanings through long-range correlation under scale invariance. Recursion and cognition are, therefore, interdependent elements of the linguistic process, making it a set of sui generis structures that evidence that the essence of language, whether natural or artificial, is a form and not a substance.

The extent and effects of violence among psychiatric in-patients

Actual and perceived safety of male and female in-patients in an inner-city psychiatric hospital were examined. Using semi-structured interviews, 59 inpatients were asked to report on their direct experiences of physical or sexually threatening behaviour towards them during their admission. Of the sample, 75% reported unwanted physical or sexual experiences: female patients were significantly more likely than males to report sexual harassment. Most incidents were not reported to staff and both staff and patients appeared to perceive the ward environment as safe despite fairly high levels of verbal and physical aggression. This study has implications for the way that ‘violent incidents' in psychiatric hospitals are defined and recorded and raises questions about the provision of women-only space in hospitals.

The long term effects of childhood sexual abuse: rationale for and experience of pharmacotherapy with nefazodone

Studies estimate that 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men experience childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Whilst ill-health is not an inevitable consequence, approximately 20% of victims go on to have serious long-term pathology. This is reflected in an excess incidence of CSA survivors in problem populations, be they medical, forensic or psychiatric. Four groups of research studies suggest that PTSD-related mechanisms might be a major mediating factor in the development of symptoms: 1. There is high incidence of PTSD following sexual trauma; 2. Psychometric studies show evidence of impaired limbic functions; 3. There is evidence of neuroendocrine disturbances similar to those seen in war veterans with PTSD; 4. MRI studies show evidence of hippocampal atrophy. There is a growing database of studies showing that drugs that act as seroionergic modulators are effective in the treatment of PTSD. Drugs such as nefazodone which block 5HT2 receptors and inhibit the uptake of serotonin may be of particular value. Studies suggest that trauma-related issues are not always addressed in patients with a history of abuse. Given the problems posed, there is a need to review their treatment in the light of emergent knowledge. Further research is needed to validate these findings.

Childhood sexual experiences with adults: adult male psychiatric patients and general practice attenders

BACKGROUND

Sexual abuse of male children is now believed to be common, and there may be links to adult psychiatric disorders.

METHOD

Recollections of sexual experiences with adults in childhood were studied systematically in 115 men attending general practice surgeries and 100 male psychiatric patients.

RESULTS

The latter reported more frequent and more serious events before the age of 13 than the general practice attenders. No significant difference was detected for events between the ages of 13 and 15.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood sexual abuse before the age of 13 may be associated with later psychiatric disorders, although the nature of the association remains uncertain. The possible significance of such experiences should be considered when assessing men with mental disorders.

Childhood sexual abuse and mental health in adult life

The relationship between childhood sexual abuse and mental health in adult life was investigated in a random community sample of women. There was a positive correlation between reporting abuse and greater levels of psychopathology on a range of measures. Substance abuse and suicidal behaviour were also more commonly reported by the abused group. Childhood sexual abuse was more frequent in women from disrupted homes as well as in those who had been exposed to inadequate parenting or physical abuse. While elements in the individual's childhood which increased the risks of sexual abuse were also directly associated to higher rates of adult psychopathology, abuse emerged from logistic regression as a direct contributor to adult psychopathology. Severity of abuse reported was related to the degree of adult psychopathology. The overlap between the possible effects of sexual abuse and the effects of the matrix of disadvantage from which it so often emerges were, however, so considerable as to raise doubts about how often, in practice, it operates as an independent causal element. Further, many of those reporting childhood sexual abuse did not show a measurable long-term impairment of their mental health. Abuse correlated with an increased risk for a range of mental health problems, but in most cases its effects could only be understood in relationship to the context from which it emerged.

Childhood sexual experiences with adults. A comparison of reports by women psychiatric patients and general-practice attenders

Reports of childhood sexual experiences with adults were collected from 120 women attending general-practice surgeries and 115 women psychiatric patients. The method of study, research team and county of residence were the same for the two groups. The psychiatric patients tended to report rates of events higher than the general-practice attenders by a factor of 2-3. The results suggest an association between such experiences and later psychiatric patienthood and are compatible with a causal role for them in some cases.