Child Abuse and Mental Health Survivors Information – Issue #56

I was honored to be the first male survivor to share my story on the Survived Podcast episode that was published earlier this week. The episode is the first link this week, and I encourage you to give it a listen. If you are a podcast host or know of any other podcast hosts looking for a guest to chat about abuse, or blogging about abuse, feel free to get in touch.

Also, don’t miss out on all the other links this week!

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Mike’s Story

Mike shares his story of child sexual abuse and healing.  He talks about his blog and the wealth of information he’s been able to put together for other Male survivors of child sexual abuse.

New From the Blogs

Sharing – Improved mental health = less chance for human trafficking — www.childabusesurvivor.net
This is true for trafficking, and it’s true for child sexual abuse, and it’s true for a variety of other ways in which people might try to take advantage of someone. People with poor mental health, poor connections to other people, and living in chaotic situations are more vulnerable. The best tool to prevent these things is to work on having fewer vulnerable people. Mental health resources could go a long way.

Sharing – We’re Increasingly Disconnected and That Has Consequences — www.childabusesurvivor.net
The rest of the article talks about the detrimental impacts of less connection to the people in our lives, our communities, etc., and some ways to help build those back. Things like reaching out, doing more than doom, scrolling your social media feeds, leaving thoughtful comments, interacting with your friends and family, etc. It’s worth a read. Connectivity is an essential part of maintaining our physical and mental health.

Shared from Elsewhere

How to Encourage Teens to Open Up About Mental Health | Psychology Today Canada — www.psychologytoday.com
Getting to “yes,” and getting them the treatment they need.

The Facts of Male Survivorship | MaleSurvivor — malesurvivor.org
1. Boys and men can be victims of sexual abuse and rape. 2. Most sexual abuse of boys is not perpetrated by homosexual males. 3. A boy or adult male can…

Suicide Prevention Chat: How Does it Work? | HealthyPlace — www.healthyplace.com
Suicide prevention chats online are available, some 24 hours a day. Chats are answered by trained personnel. Here is more about how suicide prevention chats work.

How To Comfort & Console Someone With Depression? — yourmentalhealthpal.com
Want to comfort and console someone precious to you with depression? Here’s how you can help them better navigate their mental health.

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From the Archives

Malcolm Gladwell on Sandusky and How Molesters Get Away With It — www.childabusesurvivor.net
From the New Yorker website, you can read a lengthy, but well-researched, look at how pedophiles not only groom children, but groom the adults around those children. Much of the article focuses on the Penn State situation, but there are mentions of other pedophiles and how they managed to be believable and part of the…

Video – How Trauma Affects Memory — www.childabusesurvivor.net
I saw this video shared on Lauren’s Kids Facebook page and wanted to share it here because I think what the folks who work at this Children’s Advocacy Center have to say about childhood trauma, and what children remember is incredibly valuable. We often expect child abuse survivors, especially when the abuse was so recent, to remember the details, and be able to provide an exact timeline of events. When they struggle to do that it becomes a little too easy for us to start doubting that they are telling the truth, instead of understanding that this is exactly the way it’s supposed to work.

TED Talk By A Cancer Survivor – Does Being a Survivor Define You? — www.childabusesurvivor.net
This TED talk by Debra Jarvis is about being a cancer survivor, but I think the ideas presented have a lot to offer for abuse survivors as well. Sometimes it’s easier to stay a “survivor”, and allow that to be an excuse for our behavior, or to allow other people to define what being a…

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