| Victims of domestic abuse reach out to the | | | | day comes when they awaken to the fact that |
| system for help in stopping the abuse perpetrated | | | | they have been re-victimized by their abuser's |
| upon them. This can involve both healthcare and | | | | manipulation of the psychologists and psychiatrists. |
| law enforcement. Yet, what actually happens, | | | | Psychiatric Re-victimization To What End |
| more often than most people know, is that these | | | | Now you'd think that if the batterer is getting a |
| so-called "helpers" can be used to perpetuate | | | | divorce and seeking to move on with their lives, |
| domestic violence "legally" during divorce. | | | | then the victim's declared mental health status |
| In healthcare, it's the psychologists and | | | | would be of no interest to him/her. |
| psychiatrists. These healthcare providers are | | | | Wrong...completely wrong! |
| frequently manipulated by abusers to aid them in | | | | By establishing for "the record" that the domestic |
| establishing false claims about the domestic abuse | | | | violence survivor is "crazy," the abuser leverages |
| survivors that they batter and control. | | | | their ability to regain and maintain control over the |
| Psychiatric Diagnosis as Batterer's Club in | | | | family...and most importantly, control over |
| Domestic Violence Divorce | | | | themselves, or at least control over their public |
| Almost daily, I am sought out by a domestic | | | | image. Many people will tell you that the legal |
| violence survivor seeking help from being falsely | | | | psychiatrics of a case are nothing more than to |
| accused of being mentally ill. In many of the | | | | save face for the batterer. |
| cases, the mental healthcare diagnostics appear to | | | | The abuser seeks to walk away looking good and |
| be grossly improper. | | | | certainly not being an abuser. To this end, they |
| But that doesn't prevent a court from making | | | | must make the victim to be |
| determinations about the accused. In many of | | | | "bad"..."wrong"..."crazy." Essentially, the abuser |
| these cases, the battered mothers (and abused | | | | enlists (directly or indirectly) the healthcare |
| fathers) are faced with losing custody of and, in | | | | provider to discredit the victim in order to |
| some cases, even the essential moments of | | | | invalidate who she/he is and what she/he stands |
| simple human contact with their children. | | | | for with respect to being a domestic abuse |
| Once judicial decisions are made, remedies can be | | | | survivor. |
| added on and on, with no regard for the accuracy | | | | If you are a domestic violence survivor and have |
| of the original foundation underlying the initial | | | | been threatened with losing custody of your |
| judicial decision. We have seen domestic violence | | | | children and the credibility of you mental health |
| victims prevented from having unsupervised or | | | | status, seek to understand how batterers |
| any access to their abused children because of a | | | | manipulate healthcare providers to establish false |
| clinical psychiatric diagnosis. | | | | claims. And as you learn about the reality of |
| The sad thing here is that those directly | | | | what's before you, find a credible professional to |
| negatively impacted, like the protective parent | | | | help you prevent this life-changing destructive legal |
| and children, are unaware of this ploy during its | | | | psychiatric ploy. The sooner you become |
| set-up and ultimate execution. Often they go | | | | proactive in preventing the establishment of false |
| along with certain procedures trusting in their | | | | claims, the easier you can prevent them from |
| sanity and hoping for justice to prevail. Then, the | | | | defining your life and limiting your liberties. |