Care Star Y (Survivor of Sexual Assault, PTSD, and Depression)

Care FAM is proud to share Care Star Y’s story.

Being a girl myself, I can really relate to this story. Statistics show women are more prone to sexual assault than their male counterparts. Not only is this absolutely disrespectful and disgusting but the abuser also fails to realise the long term repercussions it has on the victim of such assault especially so for individuals suffering from other mental health problems such as PTSD and depression. I feel disappointed and sorry that Y had to go through this phase of her life. I am however glad to see that she has been strong and is now better, advocating awareness and inspiring others. For anyone in her position please talk to someone you trust, please seek help and don’t let this dictate the rest of your life. I know it is difficult but Y shows that if she could do it so can you.

Who are you? Given where you are today, what was the most challenging experience you have had so far and how have you changed the situation around? (If you have struggled with mental health, please do share, so that someone like you could be inspired).

I am a current postgraduate student. The most challenging experience I have been through, and the one which impacted my mental health, was a sexual assault when I was a teen. This experience left me very unwell - I struggled to speak to anyone about it. The court experience exacerbated the depression and PTSD from the assault. Although this experience happened in 2014, it was only at the end of 2019 did I actively seek to combat my unresolved feelings, and it is only this year that my mental health has improved. It took years for me to finally speak to someone professionally to deal with the anger I felt towards the person who assaulted me, as well as the legal system that I felt had let me down. Although they had been found guilty, I did not feel what followed was enough. My situation changed vastly once I started to really deal with my problems, and so I want to share that you should never be afraid to seek help if it is needed. I feel I lost out on a large part of my teenage years, not so much because of the assault itself, but more so because I was unwilling to deal with the problems that arose because of it.

Your mental health journey and how much has it impacted you in your life choices and decisions?

I only started to become aware of my mental health around 2017. For the 3 years after the assault, I never really thought about seeking help. I just assumed I had always been an angry person deep down. But in 2017, I started to question how much of an impact the assault had really had on my life and my decisions. Interestingly, although I recognised I needed help in 2017 to improve my mental health, I was too stubborn to seek it. I don't know why. It took almost another 3 years for me to actually speak to a professional. My mental health vastly improved after that. I am now very conscious of my mental health, always willing to put it first.

Your tips for anyone reading this

I feel I have lost out on a lot of experiences. My poor mental health between 2014-the end of 2019 meant I was unwilling to make friends at university and college. I've never really been able to hold down a job that requires me to speak to / work with others. The only job that I have kept that has been stable is one that requires me to work alone. I am now actively trying to push my boundaries. I want to find a job that requires communication, and I am participating in internships and vac schemes in order to make friends and further my confidence around others. If I could go back in time, I would have asked for help sooner. I do feel like my life could be very different right now if I had done that.

Would you recommend the project to others?

Yes, I would.