Problemas de Salud Mental en supervivientes de trata de seres humanos / Mental health issues in survivors of sex trafficking.

Abstract: There are more than three million trafficked women, many of who are chil- dren. This population has been largely forgotten because the victims are geographi- cally transitory and  exist within an illegal framework. Research, often conducted using invalid techniques, suggests that most survivors  of sex trafficking (i.e. those evaluated in shelters), have  mental illness.

The majority of survivors  have  depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder or a more severe diagnosis: Disorders of Extreme Stress (DESNOS). In addition to these diagnoses, many victims of sex trafficking also have secondary psychological issues such  as alcohol and  drug abuse plus concurrent medi- cal illnesses, which add  to the psychological burden that sex trafficked victims endure. Mental health interventions often focus on identifying potential victims in healthcare centers and  public places such as shopping malls or at truck stops.

The problem, how- ever, is that once  a sex trafficked person is rescued there are no prospective clinical trials to guide  therapy; oftentimes by default, trauma-based cognitive behavioral therapy is used; such approaches may not be effective for those with DESNOS. Considering the number of women and  children who have  been victimized by sex trafficking, it is astonishing that so little is known about the natural history of mental health issues and almost nothing is known about how best to treat these victims.