Sexual assault, STDs (2017)

Mitigating consequences of a drug-facilitated sexual assault

First published: 27 Jan 2017

Revised: 19 Jan 2020

Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is not just nasty sex. It occurs either without the victim’s consent or with consent that cannot be considered valid due to the incapacitation of the victim by alcohol or drugs. While opportunistic DFSA is carried out once the victim has been rendered unconscious by their own actions, pro-active DFSA describes situations when the perpetrator spikes the victim’s drinks covertly. 

Sexual assault, primarily when facilitated by alcohol and date rape drugs, can be a devastating and life-changing event. Post-incident care can be costly, especially if rape kits and STD prophylaxis have to be paid out of pocket.

Sexual assault (2017)

Sexual assault cases regularly make headlines and can potentially cause serious reputational harm to law enforcement agencies and police departments for mishandling the cases or not pursuing them vigorously enough. Sexual assault is a long-term problem on college campuses. In June, Candice Johnson, OCR Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, issued a memo that effectively stalled the investigation of civil rights violations, including sexual assault on campuses. A similar problem with widespread sexual assault, and especially against minors, is a long-term problem at cruise ships. Because of the nature of cruise ships, there is no immediate response by law enforcement, and the ship guards who investigate the matter are the cruise company's employees; therefore, they are often unlikely to be of meaningful help to the victims. Depending on the ship's flag, jurisdiction can be federal, state, or foreign. 

Finally, sexual violence in the workplace can be challenging to address because of the unequal relationship between parties and consequent under-reporting. 

Sexually transmitted diseases in the elderly in South Florida

Florida is attractive for retired Americans, and their population continues to grow. In primary care, sexual health is often overlooked in elderly patients since they rarely open the topic themselves, and physicians often assume their patients are no longer sexually active. Drugs for erectile dysfunction, as well as attractions of life on the beach, create opportunities that may no longer be out of reach. Mature adults do indeed have girlfriends and friends with benefits, along with their regular partners and spouses. The sexual life of mature adults is often neglected during preventative screenings. This omission may lead to a late diagnosis of HIV or an undetected relapse of STDs contracted earlier in life. AIDS-related dementia or neurosyphilis can be easily misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. Failure to detect STDs in mature adults can result in unnecessary early death and unmitigated exposure of relatives to the disease. Many STDs are notifiable diseases that require regular screening of patients who are sexually active or engage in potentially risky sexual behavior. Clinicians need to keep track of relevant federal and state legislation and comply with the reporting requirements as applicable.