When you are wrongfully accused of assault, the anger, frustration, and dissonance are way worse than that of a person who committed the crime. Such accusations can alter your life. Before you can prove your innocence, a lot might have happened. The results affect your family and the people close to you but mostly affect you. It means you might lose your job, reputation, respect, confidence, community status, friends, partner, and even freedom.

Being wrongly accused of assault is even worse than a bereavement. When a person loses a loved one, they are consoled by other people, including friends. Unfortunately, if you are accused of assault, you will be isolated and even lose friends in the process. That means the false accusation has a huge impact on your psychology. Here is how it affects you psychologically.

Self-identity

In most cases, the victims of false assault accusations experience changes in their personalities. You might start feeling anxious and antagonistic and lose your self-esteem. These changes come from the accusation as well as life after. You may no longer want to help people, and mistrust may heighten. Once you look for a sex crimes attorney, you will deal with the accusations and work towards rebuilding your self-identity. The lawyers have legal expertise that can help with proving the accusations wrong. Consequently, it will also boost your self-confidence. 

Mental Health

The worst thing about false accusations is that they affect you mentally. You may no longer be able to continue with normal life activities. Some of the mental issues related to false assault accusations include:

Anxiety

Panic disorder is also common when wrongfully accused of a sex crime. This happens after the accusations and post accusation. Therefore, you may panic about going to jail and losing your life and the people you love. When falsely alleged of assault, there is a lot to lose.

PTSD

Wrongful accusations also bring about post-traumatic stress disorder. The shock and anger of being falsely accused of assault may put you in the worst state that may require professional interventions.

Depression

According to studies, depression is one major impact of false accusations. The victim may start having suicidal thoughts with the hope of eliminating the problem. Depression worsens after the accusations when you have to prove your innocence, even when the people close to you don’t believe you. You stay behind locked doors for fear of causing more trouble, and in the end, you may even attempt suicide. Depression also comes when you don’t have enough money to defend yourself and risk facing jail time.

Stigma

Stigmatization is another problem you will face after the wrongful accusations. Here is how it happens:

Self-stigma

You may start blaming yourself for the incident and wish you had done things differently. You may struggle between clearing your name and isolating yourself because of the shame and guilt. The problem is that even if you did not commit the crime, you might feel guilty until proven innocent.

Damaged Reputation

Apart from self-stigma, you will also face humiliation from the people around you. Whether you are accused of assault does not make much difference to how people view you, whether you are proven innocent or not. You lose your reputation and might feel vilified by other people. They may also label you a sex offender. Your friends may start avoiding you, and you lose some rights in public places.

Relationship With Other People

You might also isolate yourself and withdraw from socialization after the wrongful accusations. Isolation may happen due to the sense of unfriendliness or intentional withdrawal when you don’t want to be a burden to other people. You may isolate yourself when you struggle to adjust to being around other people. The accusations may also harm how you relate with your family, children, and partner. It may lead to break-ups, loss of custody, and friends.

Change in Perspective Towards the System

After being falsely accused of an assault, you may lose faith in the justice system. You start doubting its fairness and how things are done. The feeling is even worse when you are convicted and go to jail. You might feel bitter, resentful, and lose trust in the authorities. You may also start feeling fear and tension when around government entities.

Conclusion

The effect of wrongful accusations is long-lasting and difficult. You lose your self-identity, reputation, relationships, trust in the justice system, and physical and mental health. However, life has to continue regardless. Therefore, seek the right help from a sex crimes attorney. The professional will help you prove your innocence as you work on the life after the accusations.