Physical & Emotional Abuse Support Group
Abuse is a general term for the treatment of someone that causes some kind of harm (to the abused person, to the abusers themselves, or to someone else) that is unlawful or wrongful. No one deserves abuse, period. Abuse can be emotional, physical, or sexual.
I get this newsletter from a website that help victims of pathologicals& narcissistic abuse and thought I'd post it in here (might be of help or comfort to some that NO YOU ARE NOT CRAZY!!! :-))
PTSD As Trauma Disorder NOT Psychiatric Illness
Posted: 23 Jul 2008 03:26 PM CDT
Last week we began talking about 'how' women can level the playing field in court with a pathological. This could be related to a divorce, seperation, restraining order, or child custody. If you have PTSD, the courts are mandated to offer you special accommodations while in court to protect you and to help your level of functioning due to the PTSD.
As we mentioned, in order to do that you must legitimately have PTSD, be diagnosed and have an Accommodations Report prepared by a professional that is presented to The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). From there, special accommodations are granted. The range and what the accommodations are were listed in last weeks newsletter.
Some people hesitate in getting diagnosed with PTSD because they are afraid of it's implication to them, their functioning level, or related to a mental illness diagnosis.
First of all, PTSD is a trauma disorder. If you are diagnosed with it, it already implies you have been traumatized. You are going to court regarding your traumatized relationship so it fits and it supports your argument in court as well as the symptoms that have arisen because of this relationship. If he was traumatic to be with, we need to say so.
If we want the court to understand pathology, we need to teach them through our own experiences and relationships especially if we want the court to change.
Secondly, PTSD does not necessarily have the type of stigma you fear. Our vets that come home from war often, and more often than not, have PTSD. Fighting for our country is honorable -- they were doing a good thing and yet were damaged from their experience. The same is true for you.
One of our presidential candidates has PTSD. We may very well elect someone with ongoing PTSD into the White House.
Firefighters and law enforcement who bravely saved many in 911 have PTSD. Missionarys helping the poor in other countries have PTSD. Social Workers working in dangerous situations have PTSD.
I have PTSD. I have lived for 25 years with it. I openly discuss having the disorder -- through no fault of my own. I got PTSD from seeing my father's murder scene. I have worked with others that have PTSD now for 20 years. And because I am a survivor, I live with the effects of chronic PTSD daily. I know how it has changed me, my life, my abilities, my health and my endurance. I have seen it in hundreds of others, how it has effected their lives -- sometimes long term.
If you have it, say it. Nothing starts healing until we acknowledge it. It is what it is. Some worry that they will be labeled with mental illness if the court acknowledges their PTSD.
Well, let's think about that... do you think a pathological is going to go into court and NOT say you are crazy? You don't think he will argue every point of your illness, behavior, or symptoms (whether they are true or not) in order to win? You don't think he's GOING to use some kind of emotional disorder argument? OF COURSE HE IS -- that's what pathologicals DO!! So, in order to prevent being labeled something far worse than PTSD, if you have PTSD, let IT be the label instead of something else that can greatly impair your ability to get rehabilitative alimony, custody of your children, etc.
Having a PTSD diagnosis before court can greatly help HOW FAR the pathological can go in trying to make you look mentally ill. PTSD is NOT mental illness. Having a PTSD diagnosis may help prevent them from labeling you mentally ill with other more debilitating types of mental illness.
So don't shun the PTSD diagnosis if you have it. It may prevent you from being labeled something far worse.
Here is a chart from Bully Online that differientiates between PTSD and mental illness in case you were wondering what the differences are...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury
The person who is being bullied will eventually say something like "I think I'm being paranoid..."; however they are correctly identifying hypervigilance, a symptom of PTSD, but using the popular but misunderstood word paranoia. The differences between hypervigilance and paranoia make a good starting point for identifying the differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury.
Paranoia
paranoia tends to endure and to not get better of its own accord
the paranoiac will not admit to feeling paranoid, as they cannot see their paranoia
sometimes responds to drug treatment
the paranoiac often has delusions of grandeur; the delusional aspects of paranoia feature in other forms of paranoia is a form of mental illness; the cause is thought to be internal, eg - a minor variation in the balance of brain chemistry
mental illness, such as schizophrenia
the paranoiac is convinced of their self-importance
paranoia is often seen in conjunction with other symptoms of mental illness, but not in conjunction with symptoms of PTSD
the paranoiac is convinced of their plausibility
the paranoiac feels persecuted by a person or persons unknown (eg "they're out to get me")
sense of persecution
the sense of persecution felt by the paranoiac is a delusion, for usually no-one is out to get them
the paranoiac is on constant alert because they know someone is out to get them
the paranoiac is certain of their belief and their behaviour and expects others to share that certainty
vs.
Hypervigilance
is a response to an external event (violence, accident, disaster, violation, intrusion, bullying, etc) and therefore an injury
wears off (gets better), albeit slowly, when the person is out of and away from the situation which was the cause
the hypervigilant person is acutely aware of their hypervigilance, and will easily articulate their fear, albeit using the incorrect but popularised word "paranoia"
drugs are not viewed favourably by hypervigilant people, except in extreme circumstances, and then only briefly; often drugs have no effect, or can make things worse, sometimes interfering with the body's own healing process
the hypervigilant person often has a diminished sense of self-worth, sometimes dramatically so
the hypervigilant person is often convinced of their worthlessness and will often deny their value to others
hypervigilance is seen in conjunction with other symptoms of PTSD, but not in conjunction with symptoms of mental illness
the hypervigilant person is aware of how implausible their experience sounds and often doesn't want to believe it themselves (disbelief and denial)
the hypervigilant person is hypersensitized but is often aware of the inappropriateness of their heightened sensitivity, and can identify the person responsible for their psychiatric injury
heightened sense of vulnerability to victimisation
the hypervigilant person's sense of threat is well-founded, the hypervigilant person often cannot (and refuses to) see that the pathological is doing everything possible to get rid of them
the hypervigilant person is on alert in case there is danger
the hypervigilant person cannot bring themselves to believe that the pathological bully cannot and will not see the effect their behaviour is having; they cling naively to the mistaken belief that the pathological will recognise their wrongdoing and apologise
~~~~~~~~~~~
Other differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury include:
Mental illness
the cause often cannot be identified
the person may be incoherent or what they say doesn't make sense
the person may appear to be obsessed
the person is oblivious to their behaviour and the effect it has on others
the depression is a clinical or endogenous depression
there may be a history of depression in the family
the person has usually exhibited mental health problems before
may respond inappropriately to the needs and concerns of others
displays a certitude about themselves, their circumstances and their actions
may suffer a persecution complex
suicidal thoughts are the result of despair, dejection and hopelessness
exhibits despair
often doesn't look forward to each new day
is often ready to give in or admit defeat
vs.
Psychiatric injury
the cause is easily identifiable and verifiable, but denied by those who are accountable
the person is often articulate but prevented from articulation by being traumatized
the person is obsessive, especially in relation to identifying the cause of their injury and both dealing with the cause and effecting their recovery
the person is in a state of acute self-awareness and aware of their state, but often unable to explain it
the depression is reactive; the chemistry is different to endogenous depression
there is very often no history of depression in the individual or their family
often there is no history of mental health problems
responds empathically to the needs and concerns of others, despite their own injury
is often highly sceptical about their condition and circumstances and is in a state of disbelief and bewilderment which they will easily and often articulate ("I can't believe this is happening to me" and "Why me?" - click here for the answer)
may experience an unusually heightened sense of vulnerability to possible victimization (ie hypervigilance)
suicidal thoughts are often a logical and carefully thought-out solution or conclusion
is driven by the anger of injustice
looks forward to each new day as an opportunity to fight for justice
refuses to be beaten, refuses to give up
Common features of Complex PTSD: People suffering Complex PTSD report consistent symptoms which further help to characterize psychiatric injury and differentiate it from mental illness. These include:
Fatigue with symptoms of or similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (formerly ME)
An anger of injustice stimulated to an excessive degree (sometimes but improperly attracting the words "manic" instead of motivated, "obsessive" instead of focused, and "angry" instead of "passionate", especially from those with something to fear)
An overwhelming desire for acknowledgement, understanding, recognition and validation of their experience
A simultaneous and paradoxical unwillingness to talk about the abuse (click here to see why) or here (click here to see why)
A lack of desire for revenge, but a strong motivation for justice
A tendency to oscillate between conciliation (forgiveness) and anger (revenge) with objectivity being the main casualty
Extreme fragility, where formerly the person was of a strong, stable character
Numbness, both physical (toes, fingertips, and lips) and emotional (inability to feel love and joy)
Clumsiness
Forgetfulness
Hyper-awareness and an acute sense of time passing, seasons changing, and distances traveled
An enhanced environmental awareness, often on a planetary scale
An appreciation of the need to adopt a healthier diet, possibly reducing or eliminating meat - especially red meat
Willingness to try complementary medicine and alternative, holistic therapies, etc
A constant feeling that one has to justify everything one says and does
A constant need to prove oneself, even when surrounded by good, positive people
An unusually strong sense of vulnerability, victimization or possible victimization, often wrongly diagnosed as "persecution"
Occasional violent intrusive visualizations
Feelings of worthlessness, rejection, a sense of being unwanted, unlikeable and unlovable
A feeling of being small, insignificant, and invisible
An overwhelming sense of betrayal, and a consequent inability and unwillingness to trust anyone, even those close to you
In contrast to the chronic fatigue symptoms, depression etc., occasional false dawns with sudden bursts of energy accompanied by a feeling of "I'm better!", only to be followed by a full resurgence of symptoms a day or two later
Excessive guilt - when the cause of PTSD is bullying, the guilt expresses itself in forms distinct from "survivor guilt"; it comes out as:
an initial reluctance to take action against the pathological and report him/her knowing that he/she could lose his/her job or otherwise have consequences
later, this reluctance gives way to a strong urge to take action against the pathological so that others, especially successors in the relationship, don't have to suffer a similar fate
reluctance to feel happiness and joy because one's sense of other people's suffering throughout the world is heightened
a proneness to identifying with other people's suffering
a heightened sense of unworthiness, undeservingness and non-entitlement (some might call this shame)
a heightened sense of indebtedness, beholdenness and undue obligation
a reluctance to earn or accept money because one's sense of poverty and injustice throughout the world is heightened
an unwillingness to take ill-health retirement because the person doesn't want to believe they are sufficiently unwell to merit it
an unwillingness to draw sickness, incapacity or unemployment benefit to which the person is entitled
a desire to help others, often overwhelming and bordering on obsession, and to be available for others at any time regardless of the cost to oneself
an unusually high inclination to feel sorry for other people who are under stress or are pathological,
Fatigue
The fatigue is understandable when you realize that in pathology, the target's fight or flight mechanism eventually becomes activated. The fight or flight mechanism is designed to be operational only briefly and intermittently; in the heightened state of alert, the body consumes abnormally high levels of energy. If this state becomes semi-permanent, the body's physical, mental and emotional batteries are drained dry. Whilst the weekend theoretically is a time for the batteries to recharge, this doesn't happen, because:
the person is by now obsessed with the situation (or rather, resolving the situation), cannot switch off, may be unable to sleep, and probably has nightmares, flashbacks and replays;
sleep is non-restorative and unrefreshing - one goes to sleep tired and wakes up tired
this type of experience plays havoc with the immune system; when the fight or flight system is eventually switched off, the immune system is impaired such that the person is open to viruses which they would under normal circumstances fight off; the person then spends each weekend with a cold, cough, flu, glandular fever, laryngitis, ear infection etc so the body's batteries never have an opportunity to recharge.
When activated, the body's fight or flight response results in the digestive, immune and reproductive systems being placed on standby. It's no coincidence that people experiencing constant abuse, harassment report malfunctions related to these systems (loss of appetite, constant infections, flatulence, irritable bowel syndrome, loss of libido, impotence, etc). The body becomes awash with cortisol which in high prolonged doses is toxic to brain cells. Cortisol kills off neuroreceptors in the hippocampus, an area of the brain linked with learning and memory. The hippocampus is also the control centre for the fight or flight response, thus the ability to control the fight or flight mechanism itself becomes impaired. Most survivors of bullying experience symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Hope you all have a good day! :-) ~Joybean
PTSD As Trauma Disorder NOT Psychiatric Illness
Posted: 23 Jul 2008 03:26 PM CDT
Last week we began talking about 'how' women can level the playing field in court with a pathological. This could be related to a divorce, seperation, restraining order, or child custody. If you have PTSD, the courts are mandated to offer you special accommodations while in court to protect you and to help your level of functioning due to the PTSD.
As we mentioned, in order to do that you must legitimately have PTSD, be diagnosed and have an Accommodations Report prepared by a professional that is presented to The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). From there, special accommodations are granted. The range and what the accommodations are were listed in last weeks newsletter.
Some people hesitate in getting diagnosed with PTSD because they are afraid of it's implication to them, their functioning level, or related to a mental illness diagnosis.
First of all, PTSD is a trauma disorder. If you are diagnosed with it, it already implies you have been traumatized. You are going to court regarding your traumatized relationship so it fits and it supports your argument in court as well as the symptoms that have arisen because of this relationship. If he was traumatic to be with, we need to say so.
If we want the court to understand pathology, we need to teach them through our own experiences and relationships especially if we want the court to change.
Secondly, PTSD does not necessarily have the type of stigma you fear. Our vets that come home from war often, and more often than not, have PTSD. Fighting for our country is honorable -- they were doing a good thing and yet were damaged from their experience. The same is true for you.
One of our presidential candidates has PTSD. We may very well elect someone with ongoing PTSD into the White House.
Firefighters and law enforcement who bravely saved many in 911 have PTSD. Missionarys helping the poor in other countries have PTSD. Social Workers working in dangerous situations have PTSD.
I have PTSD. I have lived for 25 years with it. I openly discuss having the disorder -- through no fault of my own. I got PTSD from seeing my father's murder scene. I have worked with others that have PTSD now for 20 years. And because I am a survivor, I live with the effects of chronic PTSD daily. I know how it has changed me, my life, my abilities, my health and my endurance. I have seen it in hundreds of others, how it has effected their lives -- sometimes long term.
If you have it, say it. Nothing starts healing until we acknowledge it. It is what it is. Some worry that they will be labeled with mental illness if the court acknowledges their PTSD.
Well, let's think about that... do you think a pathological is going to go into court and NOT say you are crazy? You don't think he will argue every point of your illness, behavior, or symptoms (whether they are true or not) in order to win? You don't think he's GOING to use some kind of emotional disorder argument? OF COURSE HE IS -- that's what pathologicals DO!! So, in order to prevent being labeled something far worse than PTSD, if you have PTSD, let IT be the label instead of something else that can greatly impair your ability to get rehabilitative alimony, custody of your children, etc.
Having a PTSD diagnosis before court can greatly help HOW FAR the pathological can go in trying to make you look mentally ill. PTSD is NOT mental illness. Having a PTSD diagnosis may help prevent them from labeling you mentally ill with other more debilitating types of mental illness.
So don't shun the PTSD diagnosis if you have it. It may prevent you from being labeled something far worse.
Here is a chart from Bully Online that differientiates between PTSD and mental illness in case you were wondering what the differences are...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury
The person who is being bullied will eventually say something like "I think I'm being paranoid..."; however they are correctly identifying hypervigilance, a symptom of PTSD, but using the popular but misunderstood word paranoia. The differences between hypervigilance and paranoia make a good starting point for identifying the differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury.
Paranoia
paranoia tends to endure and to not get better of its own accord
the paranoiac will not admit to feeling paranoid, as they cannot see their paranoia
sometimes responds to drug treatment
the paranoiac often has delusions of grandeur; the delusional aspects of paranoia feature in other forms of paranoia is a form of mental illness; the cause is thought to be internal, eg - a minor variation in the balance of brain chemistry
mental illness, such as schizophrenia
the paranoiac is convinced of their self-importance
paranoia is often seen in conjunction with other symptoms of mental illness, but not in conjunction with symptoms of PTSD
the paranoiac is convinced of their plausibility
the paranoiac feels persecuted by a person or persons unknown (eg "they're out to get me")
sense of persecution
the sense of persecution felt by the paranoiac is a delusion, for usually no-one is out to get them
the paranoiac is on constant alert because they know someone is out to get them
the paranoiac is certain of their belief and their behaviour and expects others to share that certainty
vs.
Hypervigilance
is a response to an external event (violence, accident, disaster, violation, intrusion, bullying, etc) and therefore an injury
wears off (gets better), albeit slowly, when the person is out of and away from the situation which was the cause
the hypervigilant person is acutely aware of their hypervigilance, and will easily articulate their fear, albeit using the incorrect but popularised word "paranoia"
drugs are not viewed favourably by hypervigilant people, except in extreme circumstances, and then only briefly; often drugs have no effect, or can make things worse, sometimes interfering with the body's own healing process
the hypervigilant person often has a diminished sense of self-worth, sometimes dramatically so
the hypervigilant person is often convinced of their worthlessness and will often deny their value to others
hypervigilance is seen in conjunction with other symptoms of PTSD, but not in conjunction with symptoms of mental illness
the hypervigilant person is aware of how implausible their experience sounds and often doesn't want to believe it themselves (disbelief and denial)
the hypervigilant person is hypersensitized but is often aware of the inappropriateness of their heightened sensitivity, and can identify the person responsible for their psychiatric injury
heightened sense of vulnerability to victimisation
the hypervigilant person's sense of threat is well-founded, the hypervigilant person often cannot (and refuses to) see that the pathological is doing everything possible to get rid of them
the hypervigilant person is on alert in case there is danger
the hypervigilant person cannot bring themselves to believe that the pathological bully cannot and will not see the effect their behaviour is having; they cling naively to the mistaken belief that the pathological will recognise their wrongdoing and apologise
~~~~~~~~~~~
Other differences between mental illness and psychiatric injury include:
Mental illness
the cause often cannot be identified
the person may be incoherent or what they say doesn't make sense
the person may appear to be obsessed
the person is oblivious to their behaviour and the effect it has on others
the depression is a clinical or endogenous depression
there may be a history of depression in the family
the person has usually exhibited mental health problems before
may respond inappropriately to the needs and concerns of others
displays a certitude about themselves, their circumstances and their actions
may suffer a persecution complex
suicidal thoughts are the result of despair, dejection and hopelessness
exhibits despair
often doesn't look forward to each new day
is often ready to give in or admit defeat
vs.
Psychiatric injury
the cause is easily identifiable and verifiable, but denied by those who are accountable
the person is often articulate but prevented from articulation by being traumatized
the person is obsessive, especially in relation to identifying the cause of their injury and both dealing with the cause and effecting their recovery
the person is in a state of acute self-awareness and aware of their state, but often unable to explain it
the depression is reactive; the chemistry is different to endogenous depression
there is very often no history of depression in the individual or their family
often there is no history of mental health problems
responds empathically to the needs and concerns of others, despite their own injury
is often highly sceptical about their condition and circumstances and is in a state of disbelief and bewilderment which they will easily and often articulate ("I can't believe this is happening to me" and "Why me?" - click here for the answer)
may experience an unusually heightened sense of vulnerability to possible victimization (ie hypervigilance)
suicidal thoughts are often a logical and carefully thought-out solution or conclusion
is driven by the anger of injustice
looks forward to each new day as an opportunity to fight for justice
refuses to be beaten, refuses to give up
Common features of Complex PTSD: People suffering Complex PTSD report consistent symptoms which further help to characterize psychiatric injury and differentiate it from mental illness. These include:
Fatigue with symptoms of or similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (formerly ME)
An anger of injustice stimulated to an excessive degree (sometimes but improperly attracting the words "manic" instead of motivated, "obsessive" instead of focused, and "angry" instead of "passionate", especially from those with something to fear)
An overwhelming desire for acknowledgement, understanding, recognition and validation of their experience
A simultaneous and paradoxical unwillingness to talk about the abuse (click here to see why) or here (click here to see why)
A lack of desire for revenge, but a strong motivation for justice
A tendency to oscillate between conciliation (forgiveness) and anger (revenge) with objectivity being the main casualty
Extreme fragility, where formerly the person was of a strong, stable character
Numbness, both physical (toes, fingertips, and lips) and emotional (inability to feel love and joy)
Clumsiness
Forgetfulness
Hyper-awareness and an acute sense of time passing, seasons changing, and distances traveled
An enhanced environmental awareness, often on a planetary scale
An appreciation of the need to adopt a healthier diet, possibly reducing or eliminating meat - especially red meat
Willingness to try complementary medicine and alternative, holistic therapies, etc
A constant feeling that one has to justify everything one says and does
A constant need to prove oneself, even when surrounded by good, positive people
An unusually strong sense of vulnerability, victimization or possible victimization, often wrongly diagnosed as "persecution"
Occasional violent intrusive visualizations
Feelings of worthlessness, rejection, a sense of being unwanted, unlikeable and unlovable
A feeling of being small, insignificant, and invisible
An overwhelming sense of betrayal, and a consequent inability and unwillingness to trust anyone, even those close to you
In contrast to the chronic fatigue symptoms, depression etc., occasional false dawns with sudden bursts of energy accompanied by a feeling of "I'm better!", only to be followed by a full resurgence of symptoms a day or two later
Excessive guilt - when the cause of PTSD is bullying, the guilt expresses itself in forms distinct from "survivor guilt"; it comes out as:
an initial reluctance to take action against the pathological and report him/her knowing that he/she could lose his/her job or otherwise have consequences
later, this reluctance gives way to a strong urge to take action against the pathological so that others, especially successors in the relationship, don't have to suffer a similar fate
reluctance to feel happiness and joy because one's sense of other people's suffering throughout the world is heightened
a proneness to identifying with other people's suffering
a heightened sense of unworthiness, undeservingness and non-entitlement (some might call this shame)
a heightened sense of indebtedness, beholdenness and undue obligation
a reluctance to earn or accept money because one's sense of poverty and injustice throughout the world is heightened
an unwillingness to take ill-health retirement because the person doesn't want to believe they are sufficiently unwell to merit it
an unwillingness to draw sickness, incapacity or unemployment benefit to which the person is entitled
a desire to help others, often overwhelming and bordering on obsession, and to be available for others at any time regardless of the cost to oneself
an unusually high inclination to feel sorry for other people who are under stress or are pathological,
Fatigue
The fatigue is understandable when you realize that in pathology, the target's fight or flight mechanism eventually becomes activated. The fight or flight mechanism is designed to be operational only briefly and intermittently; in the heightened state of alert, the body consumes abnormally high levels of energy. If this state becomes semi-permanent, the body's physical, mental and emotional batteries are drained dry. Whilst the weekend theoretically is a time for the batteries to recharge, this doesn't happen, because:
the person is by now obsessed with the situation (or rather, resolving the situation), cannot switch off, may be unable to sleep, and probably has nightmares, flashbacks and replays;
sleep is non-restorative and unrefreshing - one goes to sleep tired and wakes up tired
this type of experience plays havoc with the immune system; when the fight or flight system is eventually switched off, the immune system is impaired such that the person is open to viruses which they would under normal circumstances fight off; the person then spends each weekend with a cold, cough, flu, glandular fever, laryngitis, ear infection etc so the body's batteries never have an opportunity to recharge.
When activated, the body's fight or flight response results in the digestive, immune and reproductive systems being placed on standby. It's no coincidence that people experiencing constant abuse, harassment report malfunctions related to these systems (loss of appetite, constant infections, flatulence, irritable bowel syndrome, loss of libido, impotence, etc). The body becomes awash with cortisol which in high prolonged doses is toxic to brain cells. Cortisol kills off neuroreceptors in the hippocampus, an area of the brain linked with learning and memory. The hippocampus is also the control centre for the fight or flight response, thus the ability to control the fight or flight mechanism itself becomes impaired. Most survivors of bullying experience symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Hope you all have a good day! :-) ~Joybean
-
My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
More than half of rape victims will develop PTSD.
Nearly half of abuse victims will develop complex PTSD from their repeated physical and/or psychological trauma.
Only about one quarter of war veterans (although with rising awareness that number may increase) become diagnosed with complex PTSD.
Women are three or four times as likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic event than men do.
PTSD can result from a single traumatic incident (like the author's viewing of the murder scene or a car crash or witnessing a brutal assault) or it can be the result of an ongoing and persistent physical or psychological trauma like war or abusive relationships.
While I agree with the author's premise in an ideal and perfect world, the fact remains that the stigma related to mental illness is REAL and not to be taken lightly. I have experienced it first-hand, and have some painful experiences that I will not share at this time, but know that they DO exist. I DO agree, however, that going into court with a diagnosis like PTSD and a psychiatric/therapeutic evaluation as to your fitness as a parent is CONCRETE and easier to refute than speculative inuendos.