Sexual harassment toxic to mental, physical health

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(Dennis Thompson/ HealthDay) — From the hills of Hollywood to the halls of Congress, it’s now clear that sexual harassment in the workplace has long been a fact of life for working women.

But while the media highlights high-profile firings — NBC anchor Matt Lauer and NPR showman Garrison Keillor among the latest — little attention has been given to the stresses sexual harassment places on its victims, mental health experts say.

People who are sexually harassed often struggle with psychological problems caused by their workplace ordeal, which can lead to issues affecting physical health, according to the experts.

But now, the United States may have reached a tipping point where victims are unwilling to suffer in silence any longer, said psychologist Kim Elsesser, author of Sex and the Office: Women, Men and the Sex Partition That’s Dividing the Workplace.

“People feel they are more likely to be believed and taken seriously if they come forward,” Elsesser said. “Social media attention and media attention on the high-profile perpetrators has made other women feel more powerful and stronger in coming forward.” (…)

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