ENGQ: Hi.
I’ve been wondering for some time now if I’ve been molested when I was 6 til 11 years old. I have a mentally disabled uncle, whom we used to visit once or twice a year. He would take places to do something, then he would convince me to drop my pants so he could carefully spank me (which reminded him of his childhood). I would always be given candy or soda after the happening. I always dreading to go on a visit and I still react to limp sweaty handshakes to this day. I’ve just in the recent years to see this as a cause to my undiagnosed depression, moodswings, trust issues, feeling of emptiness and deep inner turmoil. I recognize myself in 50% of all signs to mental disorders.
A:
Hi. I understand you dreading going to visit your uncle. I don’t exactly know where the legal limit go, so I think what you described is abuse. I know from experience that this could build up to different delayed reactions which you describe. With my experience, my advice to you is to contact a support center, if there’s one close to you, or your family doctor or a psychologist. Having someone to discuss your experiences with, and who can help you understand your reactions have helped me. You can visit http://www.fmso.no/Medlemssentrene or http://www.ssmm.no to see if there’s a support center in your location.
Good luck
Regards,
Odd Sverre