Watch a former Abu Ghraib detainee describe his experience ยป"The psychological symptoms can often be worse in the sense that person can never recover from that, and may in the end, be in such despair and pain that they take their own lives, especially if they don't have treatment or support around them," she said.
Experts say torture victims can develop post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and symptoms such as social withdrawal, confusion and sleep problems.
They may also show an impaired immune system and have a higher incidence of cancer, said Rosa Garcia-Peltoniemi, senior consulting clinician at the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Clients at the Center for Victims of Torture show a high rate of head injury, which can lead to neurological symptoms and other dysfunction, she said.
Other physical symptoms include headaches, dizziness, faintness, weakness, chest pain, tachycardia (racing heart), trembling, joint and soft tissue damage, stomach problems and digestive problems, Garcia-Peltoniemi said.
The mistrust survivors feel may even carry over to the next generation, with children observing their parents keeping secrets and feeling shame, Gerrity said.
"It's very hard to regain a sense of trust in the world, and in the environment, even [in] themselves if forced to participate in actions that they are ashamed of and would never have done," she said.