Satanic ritual abuse (abbreviate SRA) refers to reports of physical and sexual abuse of individuals (generally children) in the context of Satanic rituals. Allegations of SRA first appeared in the early 1980s, arising mainly in the United States and United Kingdom and to a lesser extent other parts of the world. The definitions and extent of SRA are controversial as the reports of it are based mostly on testimonials and recovered memories. SRA has been described as a moral panic and compared to the blood libel and witch-hunts of historical Europe and McCarthyism in 20th-century America though some believe in the reality of the allegations. Allegations of and treatment for SRA has been linked to dissociative identity disorder. SRA impacted how legal, therapeutic and social work professions dealt with allegations of abuse.