A new study trending in CNN's Online Newsroom suggests that such traumatic events can do long-term damage to the psyche.
Engaging in yoga and meditation exercises is something mental health experts may recommend for people who have survived abuse, especially since a new study trending in CNN's Online Newsroom suggests that such traumatic events can do long-term damage to the psyche.
The report, which was first picked up by Health Magazine, comes from the Journal of the American Medical Association. In essence, the study found that women who hve experienced "gender-based violence" (GBV) – meaning abuse, assault, stalking or partner-related violence – were twice as likely to suffer from a mental disorder.
Based in the University of New South Wales, the team found that 57 percent of women who had experienced GBV had been diagnosed with a mental illness like depression, generalized anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
By contrast, 28 percent of participants with no history of GBV had mental conditions.
Scientists noted that such trauma had not just psychic consequences but physical ones as well. The study associated GBV with increased risks of physical or mental disability, poor quality of life and excess days taken off of work due to disability.
Fortunately for anyone who has been through GBV or other traumas, yoga and meditation for beginners or experts may help soothe the mind and calm the emotions.
A report in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy described the benefits of using yoga, meditation and deep breathing to treat adolescents and adults with anxiety or trauma-related mental health problems.
The study even noted that war veterans who suffer from PTSD can improve their emotional well-being by using yoga techniques. Such findings are critical, especially following a recent article in the New York Times, which noted that researcher does not support the efficacy of using antipsychotic medications to treat military personnel with PTSD.
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