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INTRODUCTION
1.3 Mental health problems and the importance of help
Sexual violence against men and boys can cause serious short- and long-term psychological problems . Because little attention is paid to it , however , the mental health problems of male survivors of sexual violence are frequently unrecognised and consequently unaddressed . It is
” It is important to state that not everyone will experience the trauma reactions we describe in this manual . For some , reactions might not appear until years later and others might never have them . This may be due to resilience , which is the capacity to recover from difficulties and adapt successfully .” important to state that not everyone will experience the trauma reactions we describe in this manual . For some , reactions might not appear until years later and others might never have them . This may be due to resilience , which is the capacity to recover from difficulties and adapt successfully . In other instances , it may be related to having received help and support at a critical moment . Later in the manual , we will deal with resilience and how helpers can help strengthen it in survivors .
We know that early help and support is very important for physical and mental health and rehabilitation . We also know that male survivors of sexual violence rarely report the violation and therefore do not receive the medical and psychological support they need . The needs of migrants are particularly unlikely to be met . Only a small proportion of asylum seekers , refugees and undocumented migrants receive psychological support from specialist
10 , 11 , 12 health services in the countries in which they live .
1.4 The purpose of the manual
This is not a therapy manual . It will however increase understanding of trauma . It suggests practical ways to address individual survivors ’ problems or reactions . It discusses referrals for help and assistance , and how to reach an agreement with survivors about following up their problems . Helpers can use it to study and discuss issues that arise in their work . They can try the exercises and use them in group work as well as in their work with individual survivors . We want
“ Most of us associate help with talking about what happened and ensuring that survivors receive assistance to process any trauma .” the manual to supplement and deepen the knowledge and understanding of everyone who is involved in this area .
Most of us associate help with talking about what happened and ensuring that survivors receive assistance to process any trauma . The manual offers some guidance in these areas . However , we want to emphasise two factors closely linked to each other . First : not all help takes the form of talking about abuse . A lot of help is designed to assist survivors to recover their self-esteem ; regain contact with their body ; restore trust in other people ; and regulate their emotions , sleep and behaviour . Many stabilisation techniques are widely useful and can be practised by a range of helpers ; they are not relevant only to those who have been sexually abused .