WATERBURY, Conn. (WFSB) – The victim in the alleged Waterbury captivity case has many physical problems to overcome.
Today, we are learning about some of the psychological issues he’s facing.
It is well known he was 68 pounds when he was rescued. He also had rotten teeth and other health problems.
But he was also diagnosed with PTSD and depression during an assessment after he was rescued.
Doctor Karen Steinberg Gallucci is a clinical psychologist with UConn Health.
She has been helping us understand how the victim’s mental and emotional well being may have been impacted after 20 years.
“When someone is subjected to this kind of abuse, deprivation, terror, they will experience a range of psychological cognitive effects from that,” she said. “Their bodies and minds are being put into a state of panic, crisis or stress. They’re having stress reactions, they have to protect themselves, scan the environment for danger.”
The victim told police for 20 years he was kept in a small room in a house on Blake Street. Most of his days were spent either in a small room or doing chores.
He was allegedly given minimal food and water. He had not seen a doctor or dentist for years.
He told police he hadn’t had a shower in a year.
“Depression, anxiety absolutely. This is a morale injury, a devastating assault on one’s self of sense and being in the world, safety in the world, ability to trust others,” Dr. Steinberg Gallucci said.
The 32-year-old started a fire in the home to escape the alleged personal prison.
Police say the victim is developmentally delayed with the intellect of a teenager.
He has a long road to recovery, but there are plenty of treatment options, according to Dr. Steinberg Gallucci.
“It does take a lot of work to repair those early wounds and disruptions, but it absolutely can happen,” she said. “They can recover. They can certainly learn to not blame themselves for what happened. That’s something that children often who have been abused or harmed, will blame themselves. That adds to the trauma and impedes recovery, so that can be part of the therapeutic work.”
Luckily, there are resources for the victim and plenty of people stepping up, including donations coming from around the world to help him and offer their care for free.
A GoFundMe raised for the victim, started by Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury, is at more than $208,000.
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