Abigail Breslin diagnosed with PTSD after rape trauma

Actress Abigail Breslin has been secretly battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ever since she was raped by an ex-boyfriend.

The Little Miss Sunshine star recently went public with her painful past by sharing a short poem about consent in relationships on her Instagram page to mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

At the time, the 21-year-old did not reveal when the attack happened or whether she had reported the abuse to police, but she has since explained she kept the assault to herself because she feared authorities wouldn't believe her and was concerned her then-partner would retaliate.

Abigail made the admission on Sunday (23Apr17) in response to one Instagram user who told the star, "Reported rapes are the only rapes that count," prompting the actress to fire back at the criticism in a lengthy note titled, "Trigger Warning".

"I did not report my rape," she began. "I did not report it because of many reasons.

"First off, I was in complete shock and total denial. I didn't want to view myself as a 'victim' so I suppressed it and pretended it never happened."

She continued, "Second of all, I was in a relationship with my rapist and and feared not being believed. I also feared that if my case didn't lead anywhere, he would still find out and hurt me even more."

Abigail, who has not identified the ex in question, was also worried about the impact her trauma would have on her loved ones: "Thirdly, I knew how hurt my family and friends would be after finding out and I didn't want to put them (through) that."

She went on to reveal the attack still haunts her to this day.

"I was diagnosed with PTSD a year and a half ago," she wrote. "I have made a lot of progress since the event occurred, but I won't pretend it isn't something I struggle with.

"I still have flashbacks, I still get nightmares, I still jump when somebody touches me unexpectedly, even if it's my best friend tapping me on the shoulder."

Abigail concluded the note by insisting the critic's statement about failing to contact police about incidents of sexual assault "contributes to the ideology that survivors of unreported rape don't matter".

"It's unfair, untrue, and unhelpful...," she added. "Unreported rapes count. Reported rapes count. End of the story."