The Horror of Sexual Abuse

Today, as I was reading through some recent blog posts of The Friendly Athiest and came across a post devoted to the suicide of Bill Zellers. This is the first I've heard of Bill Zellers, but I was incredibly moved by his suicide letter because it shows so vividly how child sexual abuse destroys and disrupts the course of healthly mental, sexual, and interpersonal development.

Here is Bill's letter.

I truly wish that Bill had been able to trust someone in his family, social circle, or most importantly a therapist that could have helped him work through and process what happened to him. Therapy cannot take an abuse away, but it can provide tools to contextualize and deal with the aftermath. And I hope anyone dealing with the aftermath of sexual abuse will reach out to someone they can trust, or a therapist who specializes in working with sexual abuse victims, because there is hope for normal relationships and a normal life.

Bill found a way to end his pain - but it is an option I hope others in similar circumstances will avoid.