Sexual violence: Victims of sexual assault are ending up on anti-depressants and in psychiatric hospitals because of a lack of State funding for counselling services, it has been claimed, writes Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent.
Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI), the umbrella body for 15 rape crisis centres across the State, made the claim yesterday before stressing it could save the State millions every year if it were properly resourced to intervene early in these cases by providing victims with counselling.
Cliona Saidlear, policy and communications co-ordinator with RCNI, said that while counselling could immediately be provided in emergency situations, some victims of sexual violence had to be put on waiting lists for counselling after they sought help from rape crisis centres. They could be waiting between one and six months to be seen, she said.
Studies showed one in six survivors of sexual violence would end up in psychiatric hospitals compared to only one in 46 of the non-sexually abused population, said Ms Saidlear.
Research also indicated half of sexual violence survivors would be prescribed anti-depression medication.
However, she said the trauma of sexual violence had been proven to be less severe, less long-term and less disruptive to a person's life when addressed through openness, immediate support and counselling.
Rape crisis centres needed an extra €1 million a year to meet the demands on it, Ms Saidlear added.
Pointing to how the State could save substantial sums if more counselling was provided, she said the Galway Rape Crisis Centre counselled 77 new clients and met the crisis needs of 445 people last year. "We know that intervention by rape crisis centres lessened dependence on primary care and mental health," she said.
If just 10 per cent of those seen by the Galway centre last year had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital and stayed an average of 26 days it would cost the health service over €900,000 and if 40 per cent of them were put on anti-depressant medication it would cost over €150,000, she said.
Based on her analysis of how much it would cost for their hospitalisation and medication if they had not been seen, the centre, which received just €192,000 in State funding last year, would have saved the State at least €931,000, she said.
"We know already a lot of people will come to a rape crisis centre just to get off anti-depressants . . . at the moment that is primarily what they are being offered because the statutory sector is not being equipped to deal with them," she said.
Contact details for all rape crisis centres around the State can be found on the RCNI website at www.rcni.ie and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre national 24-hour helpline number can be contacted on 1800 778888.