Date rape drugs

The suspicion that date rape drugs have been administered does not always arise immediately. The women and girls affected often simply seem to be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs to themselves and others. If the quantity of alcohol consumed is out of all proportion to the degree of disturbance of consciousness and/or the overall symptoms, date rape drugs should be taken into consideration.

Amnesia is a serious problem in women and girls who were raped or sexually abused under the influence of date rape drugs. They wake up in places which they do not recognise, or they do not know how they got there and what happened in the last hours.

As is the case with other sexual offences, victims can develop posttraumatic symptoms even if they do not recall what has happened. Given the incomplete or partial memory of the incident, the victim is not able to place her discomfort and symptoms. This causes additional stress.