NHS Failing Child Sex Abuse Victims, Say Psychiatrists
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NHS Failing Child Sex Abuse Victims in Adulthood, Say Psychiatrists
Image source: Getty Images
By Nick Triggle, Health Correspondent
Published 5 minutes ago
People sexually abused as children who seek help later for mental health problems are being failed by the NHS, senior doctors have told the BBC.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is issuing a public apology for what it says is decades of mismanagement and misdiagnosis in the UK. For some, it has worsened their traumas, it said.
Key Takeaways:
- Mental health staff often focus on treating symptoms rather than exploring how past traumatic experiences affect patients.
- Services are too fragmented, with short, discreet episodes of care, hindering relationship-building and proper support for victims.
- Many victims struggle to disclose abuse, with estimates suggesting nearly one in 10 adults in England and Wales were abused as children.
- The apology highlights issues of inappropriate treatment, retraumatization through repeated assessments, and lack of belief from services.
Dr Lade Smith’s Apology:
"I am sorry that, too often, victims have suffered avoidable harm when seeking help."
The report details how treatment has sometimes been inappropriate, while people have been re-traumatised by the experience of repeated assessments and history-taking. Services are so fragmented, with psychiatrists not getting enough time to build relationships with patients for proper support.
Caroline Thompson, 65, is a victim who feels let down by the NHS. She was psychologically and sexually abused as a child, raised a family, and had a successful career before seeking help in her mid-50s for terrifying nightmares decades later. Her psychiatrist dismissed her symptoms as unlikely to be related to abuse due to the delay in presentation and her successful life. She was diagnosed with anxiety and given anti-psychotic drugs, which left her unable to function.
