Depressive symptoms in rape victims

Thirty-four recent rape victims were assessed for depressive symptomatology using a well-validated self-report instrument in combination with formal psychiatric evaluation. Fifteen subjects were found to be moderately or severely depressed when measured on the self-report questionnaire. A closer examination of these 15 subjects revealed that 8 were suffering from a major depressive disorder. The authors emphasize that all clinicians working with rape victims should be alert to the emergence of depression in this population.