THE IMPACT OF FEMALE MUTILATION ON WOMEN'S MENTAL CONDITION

According to the world health organization, female genital mutilation is the transformationof female genital organ in a way that it loses its function due to cultural or other non-therapeuticreasons. among the reasons why it is carried out are maintaining traditions and customs,controlling female sexuality, fulfilling religious beliefs and ensuring social integration. female genital mutilation can lead to several mental illnesses. the goal of this review article is to presentthe mental conditions of women undergoing mutilation with the reader.the most frequent mental disorder observed among mutilated women is post-traumatic stressdisorder (ptsd). especially in cases where the application is carried out before puberty,psychological disorder can be observed when the reasons why and the way how it was carried outare left unexplained and the woman is not informed about the problems encountered during theapplication. the post-application severe pain turns the stress experienced into ptsd. anotherproblem encountered apart from ptsd is behavioural problems. since these women socially isolatethemselves after the mutilation, they have difficulty fulfilling their social roles. another mentaldisorder experienced after female genital mutilation is psychosexual disorders. most observedpsychosexual disorders are dyspareunia, not having an orgasm or late orgasm. moreover, when theindividual is subjected to genital mutilation before puberty, she can never have an orgasm.the problems led by this primitive application carried out only for the continuation of traditionsand customs pose a serious threat for women's health. apart from legal sanctions, the mosteffective way to eliminate female genital mutilation is to educate the public.