Stop child abuse


Abuse Victims Widely Misdiagnosed

Some authorities say that up to 60 percent of
psychiatric patients, both in-patient andHer real problem had been nightly incest at
out-patient, report childhood histories ofthe hands of her biological father, the
physical or sexual abuse or both. Thisrejection by her mother as a result, and
estimate excludes emotional abuse andconstant debasing comments by both parents
neglect.and both sisters all of her life. Not even
her head-banging, a dead giveaway for sexual
My experience confirms that very manyabuse,  was  noticed.
patients are suffering from PTSD
(posttraumatic stress disorder) as a directAnother woman was in treatment for thirty
result of childhood maltreatment. But they doyears for depression and a "borderline
not  know  what  their  real  problem  is.personality disorder," ten of these years
with the same psychiatrist. When the decade
Psychologists and psychiatrists know what tohad passed, he remarked, "I really don't
expect in the way of symptoms with warthink  I  can  help  you."
veterans: PTSD. We know as fact that the
experiences of war can produce in even theNever was her sadistically violent tormentor,
strongest individual the constellation ofher husband, ever seen or even asked about.
symptoms that therapists should recognize asShe in no way had a borderline personality
trauma. But for some reason, we have onlydisorder, but she was indeed suffering from
begun to make this same connection withPTSD  as  a  result  of  life-long  abuse.
people  whose  lives  have  been  a  "war."
None of her therapists had been interested in
One woman, who spent nearly 20 years incausality. A disinterest in root cause is, in
therapy, first with an educational counselor,my opinion, the greatest weakness in the
then three psychiatrists, plus a familymental-health  professions.
therapist, found herself with suicidal
feelings right up to the time she entered ourWe have clung so closely to the medical model
group  for  domestic  abuse.that emotional disturbances of most any kind
have historically been seen as free-standing,
One psychiatrist, an analyst, spent two yearsas though they had arisen from an infection,
asking her, "What do you think?" Anotherfrom  a  vacuum,  or  from  nowhere.
psychiatrist gave her open prescriptions for
highly addictive drugs, and the thirdHow this mentality has survived is a mystery,
psychiatrist wanted to use electroconvulsivewhen in any other science the principle of
therapy, probably the worst possiblecause  and  effect  rules.
treatment for trauma survivors. The family
therapist ordered her to draw a familyPut another way, for every action there is a
geneology  chart.reaction. Molest, torture, humiliate, or
neglect a child severely enough, and PTSD or
None of the above professionals seemedsimilar symptoms will be the reaction. For
determined to find the cause of herthis reason, the treatment of domestic abuse
suffering; they just had their favorite waysis the treatment of child abuse, and both are
of  treating  symptoms.the treatment of trauma.



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