Reactions of Victims of Crimes, Epidemics, Public Calamities and Natural Disasters

Being a victim of a crime or traumatic event can trigger a range of physical and behavioural responses. The victim might experience a mix of emotions and thoughts that can be difficult to cope with. Even though these emotions are completely normal reactions, you may feel like you're falling apart and losing control, which can be pretty frightening. It's important to remember that in most situations, this will pass, and, over time, you will gradually regain a sense of control over your life. You may identify with many of the reactions described here or not recognise any of them. The key is understanding that there is no predefined way of feeling and reacting.

When we are victims of a crime or another traumatic event, we can be affected in many different ways. We all have our strategies for dealing with life's challenges. Usually, these strategies work well and assist us in many circumstances. But when you're a victim of a crime, you might react differently than usual, and the system you typically employ may not suffice. We often feel that our personal integrity has been violated and are shocked.

Additionally, we might suffer from issues like difficulties sleeping, depression, anxiety and guilt. We may feel guilty even when we know we are not to blame for what happened. This phenomenon of not recognising or understanding our reactions is very unsettling for most people. What is, in reality, a normal reaction to an abnormal situation can make us feel like we have completely lost control, and the world becomes an unsafe place. For most people, these symptoms disappear over time. Sometimes, memories of the incident might linger, triggered by an image, a certain smell, or another reminder, which can temporarily provoke the same reactions again.

If these reactions do not fade after a few months, it is crucial to seek help.

Feelings of Unreality

Everything might initially seem unreal when we fall victim to a crime or unforeseen events. We know what happened, yet it's hard to believe. Many people experience a sort of emotional emptiness and may be unable to recall the event's details. We might find it hard to talk about the incident and absorb the information shared with us. This is also when we might exhibit strong reactions, such as crying fits, shock, or anger towards the individual who committed the crime. However, as time passes, everything seems clearer, and it becomes easier to discuss what occurred.

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Flashbacks

Some people constantly think about what happened after being victims of a crime or an abnormal event. These recurring memories, called flashbacks, can be quite disturbing. If the crime was reported to the police and led to the accusation and trial of the suspect, there might be some time between the crime and the trial. Similarly, public policies for supporting victims of public calamities and natural disasters aren’t as prompt as we would like, and often, it’s necessary to resort to legal actions. Many crime victims are disturbed by having to relive the memories of the incident again when reporting the events in a court of law. The same occurs in legal proceedings that directly affect the victim's personal sphere, such as an event which caused the death or illness of loved ones or affected their right to housing.

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Anxiety and Difficulty Concentrating

Being a victim of a crime or traumatic event can make us feel anxious and vulnerable. Often, our reactions intensify when we relive what happened through memories or flashbacks. This anxiety can lead to increased difficulty in concentrating and high irritability.

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Difficulty Sleeping

In the period following the crime or traumatic event, many victims have trouble falling asleep, lying in bed, thinking about what happened, and even after falling asleep, it’s common to have nightmares about the incident. It’s also common to wake up several times during the night. These sleep disturbances can also lead to increased irritability.

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Feelings of Guilt

It’s common for victims to feel guilty about what happened. “Why did this happen to me?” is a question many people ask when trying to find an explanation for the crime. Often, victims question their own actions to prevent something similar from happening in the future. For example, they might think: “If I hadn’t...”, “If I had done something else…”, “I should have…”. It’s important to remember that the victim is never to blame for being targeted by a crime or suffering misfortune. Only the perpetrator is responsible for the crime. Often, there is no one to blame for the traumatic event, or the responsibility should be attributed to those who failed to exercise due diligence to prevent it.

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Anger

Sometimes, victims feel deep anger and even hatred towards the crime's offender or whoever they consider responsible for the traumatic event. This can trigger thoughts of revenge, bringing to the surface aspects of ourselves that we may not recognise. Obviously, it's crucial to distinguish between fantasy and reality, but it's also vital not to blame ourselves for having these thoughts. This is a completely normal reaction that usually diminishes as we distance ourselves from what we've experienced. It's not uncommon for victims of crime or traumatic events to deny or try to suppress what happened. This allows them to cope with the disturbance they feel after being targeted by a crime. And beginning to remember what was previously "forgotten" is a demanding process that can take some time.

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Fear

Many crime victims experience some form of fear. For example, they might be afraid to go out or be alone at home. Many people fear situations that remind them of the circumstances.

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Mood Swings, Depression, and Anxiety

Some individuals are affected by mood swings. One moment, they might feel completely normal, and the next, they might experience an outburst of anger or start crying. These reactions are entirely natural under the circumstances.

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Physical Disturbances

Sometimes, the psychological reaction to a crime can lead to physical disturbances, such as eating disorders, chest pains, dizziness, headaches, back and neck pains, digestive problems, excessive sweating, etc.

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Reactions from those in our Inner Circle

Sometimes, the people close to the victim may blame them for what happened. This might be due to the fear that they feel when someone close to them has been a victim of a crime since it makes them think it could have been them. Unfortunately, this might make the crime victim feel guilty or ashamed, even without reason. People might unconsciously blame the victim as a way to explain why the incident happened.

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