Sexual abuse and intellectual disability: Awareness for a better intervention

SummaryMany intellectual disabled persons, victims of sexual violence–more frequently than in the valid population–cannot still be taken seriously and, consequently benefit from the necessary specific care. Their cognitive and mnesic difficulties of chronological benchmarks, in space, comprehension or (verbal or non-verbal) elocution are sources for mistakes, insufficiencies and contradictions within their own answers are often the cause for doubting about their credibility, and disability as an aggravating circumstance concerning law matters may backfire on these victims. The recent neurobiological works on psychological traumas with severe consequences on mental health will be at first introduced. They involve specific psychic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder with syndromes of revivification and avoidance and/or dissociative symptoms, and physical health–neurovegetative and hyperactivity–disorders. Secondly, we deal with situations of two young persons who were victims of sexual abuse and had developed a post-traumatic pathology with traumatic memory that was not diagnosed as such in their specialised institution and in the psychiatric hospital. Families had to find the specific treatment allowing to stop the psychic-medicine escalation and the directing toward hosting structures. Prior to their treatment is the family and social attitude toward violence to disabled persons.