How to treat post-abortion syndrome. Dysfunctional parenting develops into hatred of society. Mental consequences of abortion

On the negative impact of abortion on women Health known for a long time. And yet, in recent decades, abortion has been routine. medical operation. Both women and doctors went to him “in the order of things” ...

And only at the end of the 20th century, scientists sounded the alarm about the irreversible psychological consequences of abortion. Doctors started talking about him as a strong mental trauma that leaves an imprint on the woman's future life.

The concept of PAS (post-abortion syndrome) was introduced in America only in 1985. And for a long time information and research were closed to the public, supposedly to protect those who had an abortion, and those who are just going to, from being hit. Doctors said that not knowing about PAS would save women from its symptoms. It was a huge mistake...

PAS is a condition that occurs after an abortion. And it manifests itself in varying degrees severity, regardless of the cause and initiators of the abortion. But PAS always occurs. Its peculiarity is this: the more time passes, the more pronounced the symptoms.

Symptoms of PAS:

• Frequent depression, apathy, chronic fatigue syndrome - “no strength, no energy”
• Low self-esteem - “I am not worthy of happiness”
• Heartache - sorrow, longing, inner emptiness, the horror of the fact that "the train has already left" ...
• Guilt, remorse
• Unwillingness to live, suicide attempts, the desire to punish oneself
• Refusal to talk about childish or abortion topics
• Nightmares, visions, hallucinations
• Resentment and hatred towards those who took part or “helped” with the decision (husband, parents, doctor)
• Separation from the world, alienation
• Fear of new relationships, rejection of men
• Indifference to other children, rudeness or even cruelty
• Divorce or strained relationship with the father of the unborn child
• Outbursts of anger for no reason, irritability
• Addictions (sleeping pills, tranquilizers, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, gambling, workaholism)
• Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, obesity)
• Amnesia (forget about the fact of abortion) or denial - “it doesn’t matter, everything is for the best”
• Miscarriage, infertility, imbalance of intimate life
• Obsessive thoughts about abortion and the unborn baby, re-experiencing abortion

From the list of symptoms, at least 3-4 appear. Some worsen over time and on sad dates - the expected birthday of the baby and on the day of the abortion.

Often PAS is characterized by denial - a woman does not admit that her life was destroyed after an abortion.

Indeed, together with the unborn child, a piece of the soul comes off, and the woman feels inferior. The joy of being, lightness is lost, and hysteria, anger, nervousness appear.

Abortion is a powerful ordeal. By nature, every woman is a mother. She gives life. And after an abortion, a woman cannot forgive herself, even if she does not realize it ...

Often 15-20 years pass after an abortion, and the woman still suffers and continues to mourn for the unborn baby ...

How to survive PAS?

In fact, there are NO pills, no injections, no procedures that could get rid of suffering. It is almost impossible to heal your own soul.

And it is also difficult to drop the load in one or a couple of days.

Here is a step by step work:

• Release the soul of the unborn baby
• Release the pain that has accumulated all these years
• Heal your hurting soul
• Forgive yourself, forgive others who "had a hand in this"
• Understand how to live on and how to bring happiness back into your life

post-abortion syndrome It is a severe psychological and emotional trauma. Especially for the study of this and many other injuries, I created an online course . It will be held from 11 to 23 June 2018. The group is almost filled, but you still have time to sign up:

What transformations will happen to you during the course:

• you will stop replaying all the details of the traumatic situation in your head
• you will stop blaming yourself and others for what happened, accept the situation as it is
• you will be free from anger, fear and aggression
• you will let go of the traumatic situation and forgive everyone who has hurt you
• you will regain self-confidence, a sense of integrity and inner joy
• you will feel a surge of strength, inspiration and desire to live

Ya.A. Kochetkov
Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry

From questions on the forum

When I got pregnant at 18, my mother insisted on an abortion... Then I didn’t know anything at all what abortion, pregnancy, I had no idea... My parents never talked to me about these topics... It’s a pity.. I always say that my life is divided into "before" and "after" the abortion... After the abortion, I no longer lived, something happened to me, I stopped laughing... A terrible depression, the consequences of which I still feel ... I even wanted to commit suicide ...

Scientific research related to the issue of abortion is always heavily influenced by political, religious and social factors. This is also true of the problem of the impact of abortion on mental health. Opinions in this area are divided - from the complete denial of the psychological consequences of abortion to the recognition of abortion as an irreversible severe stress factor.

Despite a significant decrease in the number of abortions compared to Soviet era, Russia in recent years holds the first place in the world in terms of the number of abortions per capita. Thus, the study of the consequences of abortion, including for a woman's mental health, remains very hot topic for our country. The purpose of this article is to analyze different points of view on the problem of mental disorders after abortion and highlight possible mechanisms their development. Let's look at the history of this problem.

In 1981, the American psychologist V. Rie was the first to propose the term "post-abortion syndrome". He proposed this term to refer to post-traumatic stress disorder that develops after an abortion. V. Rie identified four main components of the post-abortion syndrome:

1. Perception of the situation of abortion as a traumatic event that is beyond the scope of ordinary human experiences;
2. Re-experiencing the situation of abortion in the imagination associated with uncontrollable negative emotions, flashbacks in memory, nightmares, grief, especially on the anniversary of an abortion;
3. Unsuccessful attempts to avoid or deny the memory of the abortion and emotional pain;
4. The occurrence of psychological symptoms associated with abortion and did not take place before it.

Subsequently, the term "post-abortion syndrome" became widely used by opponents of abortion and caused a wave of critical publications and studies.

In 1988, US President Ronald Reagan instructed the head of the Department of Health, E. Koop, to analyze the physiological and psychological consequences of abortion in order to tighten the indications for abortion. As a result of an analysis of 250 studies on the impact of abortion on mental health, Koop noted that there is no strong evidence of the negative impact of abortion on the psyche of a woman. At the same time, Koop, who himself was an opponent of abortion, noted that most studies in this area have poor reliability and refused to officially publish his data.

Scientific psychiatric organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association. The American Psychological Association, the British Royal College of Psychiatry, refused to acknowledge the presence of post-abortion syndrome. The concept of "post-abortion syndrome" was not included in the ICD-10 and DSM-IV.

The main point of view of the psychiatric community is that negative mental changes after abortion are extremely rare and are associated with pre-existing mental illnesses, such as depressive or anxiety disorders, or a predisposition to them. Also, a role in the development of these rare, according to the authors, changes is played by the lack of support from relatives and the attitude of society towards abortion. Thus, after some time, the term "post-abortion syndrome" disappeared from the professional literature and in medical literature found mainly in magazines related to religious topics.

Does this mean that the discussion is closed?

a huge role in the development psychological problems after an abortion, a cultural factor plays: the attitude of society towards abortion, the religiosity of the population, and finally, the attitude of women themselves towards abortion. Therefore, the results of American studies cannot be unambiguously extrapolated to other countries.

For example, in a widely cited study by V. Major et al. it has been shown that mental illness develops after an abortion in less than 2% of cases. The authors believe that the likelihood of developing mental illness after an abortion and after a pregnancy that ended in childbirth is the same. According to the authors, “two years after the abortion, most women do not have psychological feelings and regrets in connection with what happened, but those who had a history of depression before pregnancy had them.” In the same study, women who had an abortion even found "positive changes in self-esteem" that disappeared over time. This study was conducted in California, a state with a liberal tradition, and involved women who had paid abortions. On the other hand, the study by O. Reardon et al. , conducted in the same state but with a sample of low-income women (many from migrant families) who had abortions at the expense of the state program, showed very different results.

A recent population-based study in Norway showed that women who had an abortion had significantly more high risk development of a depressive disorder than women whose pregnancy ended in childbirth. The authors examined 768 women aged 17 to 25 who had an abortion.

In a sensational study by O. Reardon et al. the medical records of more than 56,000 pregnant women aged 13 to 49 were studied. The patients belonged to a low social class, their pregnancy ended in abortion or childbirth. Scientists have found a statistically significant correlation between having an abortion and later developing psychiatric illnesses such as depressive disorder and manic-depressive psychosis.

In Finland, on the instructions of the government, a study was carried out similar in design to the previous one. It analyzed the medical histories of women who had an abortion and women whose pregnancy ended in childbirth. The study found that the suicide rate in women who had an abortion (34.7 per 100,000) was significantly higher than that of women whose pregnancy ended in childbirth (5.9 per 100,000). Does this correlation imply a causal relationship? Often, mental illness precedes abortion.

In addition, the patients who participated in the study were in a difficult financial situation, which caused various psychological problems before the abortion. Thus, opponents of O. Reardon consider abortion to be largely a consequence, and not a cause, of psychological problems.

Other studies have shown that the development of depression after an abortion big influence factors such as the cognitive style of the individual (a stable style of thinking and perception of information), the presence of psychological and social problems, the presence of a personality disorder, in general, many factors preceding abortion, and both supporters and opponents of the concept of "post-abortion syndrome" speak about this ".

Psychological and social factors

The development of potential post-abortion mental disorders can be associated with two groups of psychological and social factors: factors that precede abortion, and factors that arise in the situation of abortion and after it. The factors preceding the situation of abortion include the cognitive style of the individual (a stable style of thinking and perception of information), conflict relations with parents, conflict relations with a partner. This also includes a low social level, a difficult financial situation.

An Australian study shows that post-abortion depression is strongly associated with conflicting relationships and partner violence. On the one hand, conflict relations and violence increase the likelihood of abortion, on the other hand, they correlate with the development of depression after an abortion. An important role in the development of depression after an abortion is played by the type of attachment and early relationship with the mother. O. Reardon systematized the risk factors for the development of mental disorders after an abortion.

Risk factors for psychiatric disorders after an abortion

Difficulties in deciding to have an abortion

1. Moral convictions against abortion;
   • Religious or conservative values;
   • Negative attitude towards abortion;
   • Guilt;
   • Negative attitude of society towards abortion;
   • Strong anxiety about keeping the abortion a secret;
2. Conflicting maternal desires;
   • Initially desired or planned pregnancy;
   • Termination of a desired pregnancy due to fetal malformations;
   • Therapeutic abortion, i.e. termination of a desired pregnancy due to a threat to the life of the mother;
   • Strong attitude towards motherhood;
   • The woman is legally married;
   • The presence of children;
   • Postponing abortion;
3. Abortion in the II or III trimesters of pregnancy;
4. The decision to have an abortion is made under duress;
5. The decision is made in the presence of biased, inaccurate or inadequate information;

Psychological limitations or developmental deficiencies

1. Adolescence, emotional immaturity;
2. Previous emotional or mental problems;
   • Insufficient use of psychological adaptation mechanisms;
   • Instability of self-esteem;
   • Trouble at work or dissatisfaction with work;
   • Traumatic experiences in the past;
   • Suffered sexual abuse;
   • Tendency to self-blame;
   • Avoidance and denial prior to abortion;
   • Unsatisfactory marital relations;
   • Negative relationship with mother at an early age;
3. Lack of social support;
   • Lack of friends, unsatisfactory interpersonal relationships;
   • The decision was made by the woman on her own, without the participation of the father of the child;
   • Poor or unstable relationship with the child's father;
   • The woman is not married and has not given birth;
   • The woman is divorced or a widow;
   • The woman receives insufficient support from her parents and friends;
   • The woman receives insufficient support from the child's father;
   • The child's father insists on an abortion;
   • The woman lives alone;
4. Abortions in the past;
5. miscarriage in the past;
6. The low level of education of women;

At the same time, opponents of the concept of "post-abortion syndrome" insist that most of the factors listed above are not directly related to the situation of abortion. Mental disorders or psychological difficulties after an abortion, in their opinion, occur in women with similar psychological characteristics and if the pregnancy persists. A common point of view among researchers - supporters of a woman's right to abortion is the opinion that women with stable self-esteem, high self-efficacy, sufficient social support and effective coping strategies (strategies of coping with stress) endure abortion without any psychological difficulties.

Thus, many questions arise. Really, wide range life situations, including pregnancy and childbirth, can cause depression and other mental disorders in women with certain personality characteristics. Does this mean that abortion is an absolutely non-specific stressor for a woman? A. Speckhard and V. Rue in their studies identified a number of specific characteristics of the "post-abortion syndrome", but the question remains open.

Is it safe to say that women who have an abortion without any psychological consequences really do not have them? One study compared mental condition women who terminated their pregnancy by abortion, and women who lost a child as a result of a miscarriage. The results showed that women who have lost a child in a miscarriage experience more psychological problems in the first 10 months after a miscarriage. Women who have had an abortion have fewer psychological problems in the first 10 months, but later (after 2 years) they are much more likely to have high scores on depression and anxiety scales. In addition, the absence of psychological consequences may mean their successful denial, which is far from always detected. psychological tests. A. Speckhard and V. Rue refer to the unconscious factors that contribute to the development of post-abortion syndrome, highlighted in the psychoanalytic literature.

Unfortunately, the format of this article does not allow dwelling on them in detail. But it can be assumed that even women for whom abortion is consciously not a conflict and traumatic event may subsequently experience negative psychological experiences about this.

Another question is to what extent the decision to have an abortion can be the result of the psychological characteristics of a woman? In a study conducted in Russia, it was shown that women who have had an abortion differ in specific strategies for coping with stress and an external locus of control (a person's tendency to attribute responsibility for events in life and the results of their activities to external forces). The need for motherhood in many women who have had an abortion is inferior to the need for self-realization in other areas of life.

Endocrinological factors

The topic of the impact of endocrine changes after an abortion on the mental state of a woman is quite speculative due to the very small number of studies in this area. There is practically no data that would compare mental and hormonal changes after an abortion. Moreover, there are very few studies that measured hormone levels after an abortion.

In one study, conducted back in the USSR, it was shown how fast hormones disappear from the bloodstream after an abortion. Within 1 hour after an abortion, the level of progesterone decreases by 38%, after 3 hours - by 52% and a day later - by 80%. The concentration of estradiol 1 hour after the abortion is reduced by 58%, and a day later - by 88%. Thus, the level of estradiol and progesterone per day decreases by more than 5 times. Could such changes have an impact on a woman's mental health?

Numerous studies recent years showed that sex steroids such as progesterone and estradiol, in addition to their direct hormonal effects, have a serious effect on the functions of the central nervous system. Estradiol is known to have a major effect on the serotonergic and noradrenergic systems. These monoaminergic systems are involved in the pathogenesis of many mental disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic disorder. Estradiol increases the amount of serotonin in the postsynaptic cleft while decreasing the activity of monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down monoamines. In addition, estrogens increase the activity of the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, which is involved in the synthesis of serotonin.

Thus, the effect of estrogens on the serotonergic system can be generally characterized as activating. At depressive disorders there is a decrease in the activity of the serotonergic system, so it could be assumed that estrogens give an antidepressant effect. Indeed, the use of estrogens as additional therapy in case of depression in menopausal and postmenopausal women, it enhances the effect of antidepressants. In addition, it has been shown that hormonal replacement therapy estrogen in non-depressed postmenopausal women has a positive effect on their mood and cognition.

At the same time, an elevated level of estradiol increases the convulsive readiness of the central nervous system and may increase anxiety symptoms. Therefore, it is obvious that for normal functioning The central nervous system is important for the normal physiological rhythm of estrogen secretion, and sharp non-physiological fluctuations in the direction of both increase and decrease can negatively affect the mental state of a woman.

The effect of progestins on the CNS is partly opposite to that of estrogen. Progesterone and its metabolites reduce the excitability of the nervous system, reduce convulsive activity. It is believed that the balance of estrogens and progestins is important for the normal course of pregnancy, and an insufficient level of progesterone in the blood increases the risk of abortion.

In the study of mood disorders associated with premenstrual syndrome(PMS), it has been shown that progesterone levels in women with PMS are slightly higher in the luteal phase of the cycle than in women without PMS symptoms. At the same time, a correlation was found between high progesterone levels and reduced mood, which suggested that progesterone has a depressogenic effect. This issue remains controversial. Anyway, high levels progesterone and estradiol during pregnancy complement and compensate for each other's action.

It is impossible to cover all the hormonal changes after an abortion in this article, but it is impossible not to mention some other important consequences as well. Post-abortion prolactin levels first rise in response to stress and then fall sharply. Prolactin is considered an important protective factor for the CNS, and a decrease in its level often correlates with the development of depressive symptoms.

Also, we must not forget about the hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system. A sharp rise in cortisol levels in response to severe stress is another factor that causes an imbalance of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.

It can be assumed, that a large number of abortion is a significant risk factor for neurotransmitter imbalance and subsequent psychopathology, as central nervous system subjected to multiple hormonal disruptions. Probably another risk factor may be the presence of a hormonal imbalance before the abortion. Women who have an increased vulnerability to the effects of hormonal changes on mental status and mood (eg, women with PMS) may be at risk for developing post-abortion psychiatric disorders.

Conclusion

So, despite numerous conflicting studies, today it is impossible to establish exactly how many cases after an abortion develop mental disorders. Most researchers believe that abortion is not the cause of mental disorders, recognizing their presence only in a small percentage of cases. But there is also a fair amount of work showing the significant impact of abortion on mental health across cultures.

The moderate point of view is that abortion can be an impetus for the development of mental disorders. It can be assumed that abrupt hormonal changes (decrease in estradiol and progesterone levels) after an abortion may play a role in the development of post-abortion mental disorders. The relationship of endocrine and psychological factors in the development of post-abortion mental disorders should be the subject of further study.

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In our country, only according to official statistics, about 3 million abortions are performed per year. There is extensive research on the physical consequences of abortion: early and late, primary and secondary. In the 70s of the 20th century, a special term appeared in gynecology: secondary infertility- a disease, the main cause of which is abortion.

The presence of the physical consequences of an abortion is not in doubt by anyone. Not a single article has been written about the mental consequences of abortion in Russia, not a single report has been made. The reproductive status of a woman is taken into account in Russia only in the field of gynecology and obstetrics. For outpatients and inpatients of psychiatric clinics, a neuropathologist and a family consultant, this status has no practical significance.

Thus, Russian women do not seem to have post-abortion syndrome (PAS). Therefore, many doctors, including obstetricians and gynecologists, are not aware of the existence of PAS.

Are there mental consequences of abortion or the so-called post-abortion syndrome and how to determine it?

According to the American Psychiatric Association (1987) definition, post-traumatic stress disorder includes trauma caused by “an event outside of normal human experience…for example, a severe threat to life and physical condition person, a serious threat to his children… or the death of another as a result of physical violence.” PAS is considered as a type of post-stress disorder (PSD).

Vincent Roux (USA) defines PAS as a post-traumatic stress disorder characterized by the development of symptoms caused by specific emotional responses to physical and emotional trauma resulting from an abortion.

There are four main components of Post-Abortion Syndrome:

• Direct or indirect participation in the destruction of an intrauterine baby, which is perceived as a trauma and something that goes beyond the normal human experience.
• Uncontrollable negative experience of re-abortion as death, for example, flashbacks, nightmares, grief, especially on the anniversary of the abortion.
• Unsuccessful attempts to avoid or deny the memory of the abortion and emotional pain.
• The onset of symptoms associated with the abortion that did not occur before, including feelings of guilt for saving one's own life.

Thus, PAS is the medical definition of psychological and emotional disturbances in a woman after an abortion. But this definition affects only outside problems and best case may qualify for medical aspect PAS, which determines a certain disease of the human psyche. Currently, there are approximately 250 papers related to PAS research, mainly in Europe and the USA. American specialists have developed the symptoms of PAS, its course and consequences, treatment methods, and also noted risk groups that are especially prone to PAS.

But it seems to us that many erroneous views on various aspects PAS is connected precisely with the incorrect definition of this syndrome or the incorrect formulation of the problem in principle, or rather, in ignoring the spiritual side of the issue.

As noted above, PAS as such is only a medical definition. Our disagreement with our American colleagues lies, for example, in determining the very source of PAS - the sin of infanticide and the definition of the role of women in this.

Anna Speckhard (USA, Arlington), one of the leading PAS psychologists, in one of the studies, believes that the psychological reaction of denial in a woman who has had an abortion is based on a rejection of the reality of the death of her child. We believe that a woman cannot accept another truth, that she herself is the cause of the death of her child. This is the root of sin, and at the same time the first step of repentance as a change in consciousness. The correct (Orthodox) understanding of what happened during an abortion leads to a change in the consciousness of a person, and a change in consciousness is nothing but repentance.

We receive letters from women who have had an abortion. All letters are different. But, basically, these are letters of confession, letters - a cry from the heart. In them, some mourn without excuses about what happened. Others say: everyone does it, my husband forced me, I am no more sinful than everyone else. The latter deny that they have done evil.

The psychological mechanism of denial after an abortion is nothing more than a denial of the possibility of repentance for the deed.

We consider the following statement of American experts to be controversial: “The trauma caused by abortion can in many cases be prevented or cured if women at risk receive adequate counseling and can make a decision that meets their psychological and social needs” (Vincent Roux, USA). If a woman made a decision and had an abortion, then she is simply doomed to mental pain and it is impossible to prevent mental trauma with any, even the best counseling. PAS can only be prevented by persuading the woman not to have an abortion.

The woman who had an abortion, the husband who pushed her to it, the doctor who was involved in the abortion - they are all susceptible to PAS. In order to cure it at the very first stage, all of them must realize what an abortion is, what are the consequences of this act, how they manifest themselves in them and how to overcome them.

Currently offering the most different principles cure PAS. One of the directions, common in the USA, Japan and Russia, is the experience of mental pain and overcoming it with the help of methods that can inflict on the human soul. great harm up to serious mental illness.

Thus, some areas of this experience in women are associated with writing letters and poems to their aborted children, their baptism in absentia, dedicating a symbolic place in the cemetery to them with a visit to the “children's grave”, buying toys for these children, talking with them by name, etc. d. All these methods can be considered as pagan heresy, with attempts to penetrate the world of the dead, which is very dangerous for the soul and can cause irreparable harm to the mental health of a woman.

WHEN THE SOUL HURTS

In order to determine what PAS is, we will keep in mind that a person is structured in its structure (St. Theophan the Recluse) and consists of a body, soul and spirit. Which of these three components does PAS relate to?

To all. It is clear that physical suffering after an abortion is associated with emotional experiences. The former can cause and exacerbate the latter and vice versa. But still, we will try to isolate something characteristic only for PAS and call this state conditionally - “when the soul hurts”, trying to come up with the correct definition of this disease.

Do you know what mental pain caused by some kind of grief, such as the death of a loved one, is? “My heart hurts,” says the man, meaning precisely the disease of the soul.

“Melancholy of death,” says another, and this can also be a manifestation of a disease of the soul. Those who have endured a loved one know that time heals any grief. But not the mental consequences of abortion. They do not go away with time, but can only get worse.

Post-abortion syndrome in a woman is always accompanied by mental disorders different type and is the reaction human soul for the intentional or unintentional killing of a fetus in utero.

“Whoever deliberately destroys the fetus conceived in the womb is subject to condemnation of murder. We do not have a subtle distinction between a fetus that has been formed or that has not yet been formed. For here a penalty is due not only for having been born, but also for having slandered herself: since wives very often die from such attempts, ”wrote St. Basil the Great in the 4th century.

These mental disorders can manifest themselves in the following symptoms: constant return to the past in memory; specific visions and dreams; despair leading to suicidal thoughts; persistent sense of loss, similar to the loss of a loved one; fear that everything will be revealed and everyone will be condemned for having an abortion; bitterness and anger, especially towards a husband or someone who may have pushed for an abortion; a sense of a failed life, often based on the beginning of a split in the family; drunkenness and drug addiction as a reaction to suppress a permanent source of pain, etc. But the biggest obstacle to healing PAS is the so-called psychological defense of the soul - the denial that a sin has been committed. Therefore, it is very important for a woman to correctly understand what happened and try to determine who is to blame for this, followed by a change in her consciousness both in relation to herself and to other people.

Very often a woman realizes that she is sick, but does not know what to do about it. She is left alone with her grief.

Whether the abortion was induced or spontaneous, whether the child was desired or not, a woman is dealing with the loss of a child, with an experience of death that is not accompanied by any rites, which aggravates the course of PAS. This situation characteristic not only for PAS, but also for those people who lost loved ones and could not bury them.

Let's imagine a specific situation, which we will conditionally call the "Crisis of Contradictions" with the expected and concrete result after an abortion: getting significant psychological relief after an abortion - but after a week (or a year) a feeling of terrible heaviness in the soul; hope to improve relations with her husband by solving the problem of an unwanted child - the deterioration and aggravation of relations up to the reluctance of bodily intimacy; solution of problems physical health(for example, toxicosis of pregnancy) - acute or chronic complications in the reproductive and hormonal system organism; the desire to improve the body (sports, daily routine, proper nutrition) - smoking, alcoholism or drug addiction as defensive reaction from a constant source of mental pain; calm state psyche - anger, emotional imbalance and irritability.

What additionally can aggravate the severe mental state of a woman?

• The discrepancy between the psychological attitude before the abortion and what happens after. For example: “there is nothing there yet, but suddenly a woman can see the bloodied parts of the hands or feet of an intrauterine baby, which causes an instant deep shock with the hardest experiences - subsequently obsessive states.”
• Women do not know what to do with this pain, and some do not associate PAS with abortion at all. The psychological reactions of denying what happened or suppressing a constant source of mental pain can turn a woman into an invalid.
• PAS is very often a mystery shrouded in obscurity. Even chronic diseases are curable, especially those that are visible and correctly diagnosed. When PAS is suppressed, it seems to turn into an inflamed nerve of the tooth, which first destroys the tooth, then the periosteum, and then passes to the whole body.
• The entire abortion industry (factory of death) is not interested in presenting PAS as a serious disease, since the presence of PAS debunks the idea of ​​a so-called safe abortion.
• PAS belongs to the realm of invisible pain, which leads to the possibility of methodological flaws with the prevailing role of the patient in the cure.

No matter how difficult it is for a woman to experience PAS or realize her sins, the most important thing is to know that “repentance opens the sight of one’s sins” (Hieromonk Nikon, one of the last Optina elders), it is a spiritual definition.

Healing the soul is the path to physical health. Therefore, the whole theory and practice of PAS counseling lies at the intersection of mental and physical health, and it is very important that the Orthodox Church and doctors work together on this problem.

Articles by Father Alexander Ilyashenko on this topic:

Article by the psychologist of the Center "5 YES!" Marina Morozova

For many years it was believed that abortion is an ordinary operation, and nothing more, of course, often leading to complications in the form of diseases of the genitourinary sphere, and that's all. But it's not. After all, the matter concerns the issue of life and death, because the child still came to you, and you are the mother of this child.

Only in the 60s of the 20th century, Polish scientists sounded the alarm: abortion is a tragedy, a woman experiences not only physical, but also psychological trauma as a result of an abortion. And the mental consequences are much worse than the physical ones. They found that many disorders in intimate life are the result of abortion, and 69.5% of women feel guilty. This mental disorder is called post-abortion syndrome (PAS).

In 1985, an American psychologist and family therapist, Dr. Anne S. Speckhard, first introduced this concept. For a long time, this information remained closed, as it was considered harmful to women who had or were about to have an abortion. But more harm causes people's ignorance of the consequences of abortion.

If a woman does not realize what she has done, suppresses feelings of guilt, grief, loss, this has even more serious consequences in the form of serious illnesses, subsequent premature pregnancies (miscarriages), pathologies in subsequent born children.

What is post-abortion syndrome?

This is a mental disorder, accompanied by a complex of strong feelings: pain, grief, loss, guilt, anger at oneself and a partner (fate, doctor), depression, apathy, unwillingness to live. Often women do not associate their state of mind with abortion. Post-abortion syndrome occurs in all women, regardless of the reasons for the abortion and who initiated it.

What are the symptoms of post-abortion syndrome?

depression, apathy

Unwillingness to live, suicidal thoughts and attempts

Acute mental pain

Sorrow, longing

Horror because the past cannot be changed

Obsessive thoughts about surgery, aborted baby

Terrible dreams, hallucinations, visions

Fatigue, no strength, no energy, emptiness

Feelings of guilt, remorse, and the desire for self-punishment

Resentment and anger at oneself, partner, fate, circumstances

Unmotivated anger, irritability, bitterness

Lethargy, freezing, numbness

Avoiding conversations about these and childish topics

Closedness, aloofness

Rigidity, rudeness, callousness or coldness, indifference towards their born children

Fear and avoidance of new relationships

Amnesia (a woman cannot remember having an abortion)

Woman denies having an abortion

Feeling: “I am not worthy of happiness”, cannot afford to be happy

Breaking or worsening relationship with the child's father

Sleep disturbance

Eating disorders (gluttony, bulimia)

Alcoholism

Smoking

Addiction

Abuse of sleeping pills and other drugs

workaholism

Increased injury

Diseases

Infertility

Miscarriage

Accidents

Personal life does not add up

Loss of a piece of soul

Disharmony in intimate life

As a rule, one woman does not have all at once, but three or four symptoms. Some symptoms may not appear immediately, but over time. Often they are exacerbated on the date of conception or the expected birth of an aborted child (this is the so-called anniversary syndrome). The worst thing is that a woman experiences this grief alone, feeling misunderstood.

Life after an abortion

As a rule, along with the loss of a child, a woman also loses part of her soul, as a result of which she does not feel complete and cannot live at 100. She can no longer be as cheerful, light as before. Changes (spoils) her character. She becomes irritable, nervous, angry, hysterical.

Abortion is a great humiliation for a woman, her female nature, femininity. Called to give life, she took it herself, and she cannot forgive herself for this. Mental wounds do not heal on their own, time does not heal them. Sometimes a woman, even 20-30 years after an abortion, also suffers, as if it were yesterday.

“When I think about an unborn child, I constantly cry,” Svetlana shares with me. “Yes, it was an abortion medical indications, but the essence of this does not change. I constantly imagine what my son or daughter would be like. Now he or she would be 20 years old.”

It happens that the mother or parents of a woman or a man insist on an abortion, blackmailing them with the fact that they will not help, will not accept this child.
This happens in cases where the parents themselves once had abortions.
Sometimes the mother-in-law or mother takes the woman for an abortion. In this case, the woman feels resentment and anger at her. Imagine how their relationship develops. And although most of the responsibility lies with the initiator, the responsibility is not removed from the woman either.

By the way, a huge role in the fact that a woman has an abortion is played by a man.

Often a woman has an abortion under pressure from the father of the child, succumbing to his manipulations or persuasion, or with his tacit consent. If a man, having learned about the pregnancy of a girlfriend, disappears, she can only rely on herself.

Of course, in these cases, the woman cannot feel protected, and this becomes the reason for the abortion. She is offended and angry at him and often transfers her anger to all males. Since then, she has become embittered and distrustful.

Most of the responsibility for abortion in such cases lies with the man, but the woman also bears part of the responsibility. After all, she also made her choice not in favor of the child. Although there are situations when a woman is not responsible for this.

"I was in my third month of pregnancy. My beloved man (the doctor himself) insisted on an abortion, but I kept hoping that I would persuade him to agree to a child. And somehow I came to his house. His friend, a gynecologist, was visiting him They locked me in the kitchen, tied me to kitchen table and they forced me to have an abortion, under anesthesia. After that, I no longer wanted to meet him, and I still suffer because of this and cannot forgive him for this, "says Olga.

A husband can insist on an abortion, persuade his wife to do it. He himself can negotiate with the doctor and take his wife to an abortion. Where is the poor woman to go? And it is not difficult to guess how their relationship will develop later, how their love will collapse, if it was before, how it will turn into hatred, into dull anger.

Abortion is often a decision of two. In this case, the responsibility for the abortion is divided in half. Sometimes a husband says to his wife: “Decide for yourself!”, “Do as you know!”. That is, he does not seem to insist on an abortion, but he does not rejoice at the child either. In these cases, he shifts the responsibility onto the shoulders of the woman, and she often feels insulted and humiliated, because he does not want a child, is not happy with him. And although the woman makes the decision, the responsibility is divided in half.

Subsequently, in these relationships, the woman does not feel protected, she can no longer trust her husband, often reproaches him, at least mentally, for what happened. A crack appears in the relationship, which gradually grows. According to statistics, 90% of divorced couples have had an abortion.

As life shows, if a man (the father of a child) insists that we are giving birth, a woman is only in exceptional cases makes an abortion.

“After the birth of the twins, I accidentally got pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. But my husband forbade me to think about it. I gave birth to another girl, and we never regretted it. We have three daughters, Maria tells me. “I am grateful to my husband for insisting on the birth of a third daughter.”

“When I got pregnant, I was 17, and my mother took me for an abortion,” 47-year-old Nadezhda confesses to me. - I resisted, the guy and I wanted this child, although he appeared by accident. And now I'm already in the gynecologist's office, and then my boyfriend bursts in and literally pulls me out of the chair. “We will give birth!” he declared to the stunned doctor and my mother. And we have a son. This is my only child, son, he is already the father of two children. If I had had that abortion, I would not have had children and grandchildren.”

How to heal post-abortion syndrome?

Post-abortion syndrome cannot be cured on its own.

The psyche of a woman includes powerful defenses so as not to look at her pain. Some women simply don't remember having an abortion.

Someone, with the easy suggestion of doctors, continues to deny that an abortion is a murder, that there was a child at all. They persuade and reassure themselves that they cut out just a piece of meat, that the embryo is not a child, it still does not feel anything, etc.

Others, on the contrary, are constantly tormented by remorse.

Still others become aggressive and cynical (“All women have abortions, this is normal, but why breed poverty?”, And continue to have abortions, advise others to abort their children, take their daughters and daughters-in-law to abortions themselves.

The fourth ones suppress feelings of guilt and grief in themselves, try not to notice them and drive them deep inside.

And all this makes it difficult to face the truth.

In order to be healed, it is necessary to recognize that an abortion is not just an operation, that a child, your child was, came to you, you are his mother. It is necessary to give a place to the child in your heart, mourn the loss, repent, forgive yourself and other participants in the events. It is important to heal the pain, get rid of guilt, anger, resentment and let go of the soul of an aborted child.

Prayers, confession help a lot, but the post-abortion syndrome is not completely removed. So many women who confess this and pray for their aborted children continue to suffer and experience the same trauma over and over again.

What to do to cure post-abortion syndrome?

1) Recognize your child and give him a place in your soul.
2) Mourn the loss
3) Heal the pain and release other painful feelings.
3) Repent and forgive yourself and other participants in the events.
4) Let the child go

Modern psychology has developed special short-term technologies for the treatment of post-abortion syndrome. It is not only possible, but necessary, to heal this pain and remove the feeling of guilt. And along with this, you will get rid of many possible consequences, which, as a rule, lead to unconscious and repressed feelings.

Consequences arise when we do not recognize the child, we exclude him (we brush him off), and when we do not recognize our feelings of pain, anger, guilt, when we look for excuses for ourselves instead of facing the truth.

You can heal the post-abortion syndrome with us at a constellation, individual consultation, or Then you and your children (and other descendants) can live in peace and enjoy life.

Psychologist Marina Morozova

When reprinting articles by psychologist Marina Morozova, an active link to this site and the name of the author is required.

Many women at least once in their lives are faced with the decision - to give birth or have an abortion. Psychologically, this is a very difficult decision, sometimes causing a woman severe mental trauma. But the psyche suffers most after an abortion. In psychology, there is even such a term as post-abortion syndrome (PAS). it mental illness, which is a consequence of a perfect abortion. Feelings of emptiness, guilt, depression haunt a woman and change her personality.

Post-abortion syndrome may not appear immediately, but later long time. But often psychological discomfort occurs immediately after the decision to have an abortion. It in itself already injures a woman and causes mental anguish.

Abortion is an interference, and a violent one, in the very nature of a woman, and, of course, this cannot but leave a mark on the soul of a person. The purpose of a woman is motherhood, the reproduction of offspring, a new person and the preservation of his life. A woman becomes pregnant, all programs are “launched” - not only physical, but also mental, which are focused on motherhood, on caring for the baby and feeding him. And the decision to terminate a pregnancy is very difficult for anyone. normal woman. it psychological trauma regardless of what circumstances prompted a woman to this act.

There are also contraindications to pregnancy, there are many of them, and the only way out in such cases, if pregnancy has occurred, is an abortion. But even in this situation, it is difficult for a woman to come to terms with the fact that an abortion is inevitable. Here it is very important not only for doctors, but also for relatives, especially the husband, to support the woman morally. Tell her that everything in life can be fixed, that if you lead a healthy lifestyle, perhaps new pregnancy will go well and will be born. It is necessary to convince the woman that she is not guilty of anything, and even more so - in terminating the pregnancy.

A very complex topic is psychological consequences abortion. Statistics show that women do not show their feelings to the doctor's question about her moral state and react and answer very calmly. But the problem still exists, since there is such a term - post-abortion syndrome. It's just that this problem is deeply hidden from the views of outsiders and even doctors. As a rule, a woman later turns to specialists incognito and tries not to advertise her problems.

It is very important that a woman does not make a decision spontaneously and emotionally, but after discussing it with her partner first. Only together, in a family way, you can accept the right decision in such a question. Sometimes a question that seems unsolvable is solved simple conversation and family support.

And if, nevertheless, a woman decided to have an abortion, then only the family can support her, preventing her from developing. It is likely that just the family will not allow the woman to go for an abortion.