Research- Life changing issues protrayed in soap opera- Rape

'Victims of rape can be severely traumatized by the assault and may have difficulty functioning as well as they had been used to prior to the assault, with disruption of concentration, sleeping patterns and eating habits, for example. They may feel jumpy or be on edge. After being raped it is common for the victim to experience Acute Stress Disorder, including symptoms similar to those of posttraumatic stress disorder, such as intense, sometimes unpredictable, emotions, and they may find it hard to deal with their memories of the event. In the months immediately following the assault these problems may be severe and very upsetting and may prevent the victim from revealing their ordeal to friends or family, or seeking police or medical assistance. Additional symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder include:

• depersonalization or dissociation (feeling numb and detached, like being in a daze or a dream, or feeling that the world is strange and unreal)
• difficulty remembering important parts of the assault
• reliving the assault through repeated thoughts, memories, or nightmares
• avoidance of things, places, thoughts, and/or feelings that remind the victim of the assault
• anxiety or increased arousal (difficulty sleeping, concentrating, etc.)
• avoidance of social life or place of rape

For one-third to one-half of the victims, these symptoms continue beyond the first few months and meet the conditions for the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder. (See also Significant Emotional Event.) In general, rape and sexual assault are among the most common causes of PTSD in women.'

Above, I have posted some information from wikipedia on the effects of rape on women. I think it is important to do background research into an issue before portraying it and publishing it within the media. I think there needs to be a good understanding of the issuse in order for it to be portrayed the right way. Of course, it would be difficult to actually film a rape scene, however, the after-effects of rape on the victim can be acted out realistically with the correct level of understanding. Women can form depression following a rape attack. If this is portrayed poorly or incorrectly to the public, then it gives the public a wrong impression of the behavior of victims of rape, and I strongly feel that this is something soaps and dramas have the duty of not doing, as their goal is to give public understanding. This is useful information for me, because one of the issues that we are portraying within our soap is rape, and I now have a better understanding of how important it is to treat these issues with care when filming them, and obviously, there will be victims of rape within our audience, and if anything, we want them to feel comforted by our soap, not distressed.