Victims of sexual abuse during adolescence are more likely to develop psychosis, survey says

By Staff Writer

A recent study found that children who are sexually abused may be at a higher risk for developing psychotic disorders in adulthood.

According to PsychCentral.com, Austrian researchers discovered that many abused children later developed conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, borderline personality disorder and suicidal behavior. They also found that some traumatized kids have substance abuse problems in adulthood.

Researchers studied 2,759 individuals who had been sexually abused when they were younger than 16, in addition to 4,938 people who were not. During a 30-year period, the children who were abused were more than twice as likely to suffer from a form of psychosis. Kids who were raped in early adolescence were 15 times more likely to develop a mental disorder.

The study also stated that many victims of childhood sexual abuse never reveal their experiences with others, thus the overall population of abused children may be significantly higher than those whose abuse is detected by family members or officials.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, more than 200 adult males who were victims of sexual abuse during childhood recently appeared on the Oprah show to share their stories of survival.