Care for Stockholm syndrome in long-term captives

[featherfire]

Setting: modern AU United States, southern California area (SoCal doesn't exist, but the area is based on it).

I think I've dug myself into a very deep hole.

Comments

[junkerin]

I read an article about children that lived thru a dramatic event like war; so they were more traumatiesed.

The common ground was that they would recover and that the recovery would be "easier" or faster the younger the children were.

It was also meantioned that they would choose a person to trust like a pastor, teacher, police officer, nurse or what ever. And that they ofent attached themself verry, verry close to the chosen person. Natascha Kampusch for example choosed a femal police officer she met on her first day out and relayed very much on that relationship.

Hope that helps...

[featherfire]

Hm, I hadn't planned to do much with the authority-types involved individually, but maybe I'll consider adding someone of that nature. Thanks. :)

[kdorian]

The only time I can remember seeing articles about the victims' recovery in a situation even vaguely similar was in the coverage of the Josef Fritzl case. As I recall, there was a long period of hospitalization with therapy immediately after the rescue.

I tried a few Google searches based on that, and I'd suggest searching "'Josef Fritzl"’children recovery'.

[quatorze]

Exactly what I immediately thought about. As I recall the daughter and her kids were very carefully protected from the media so as to allow them to rebuild their life without being harassed.

[featherfire]

That's what I'd figured (and really, it's what I'd want for them), though I might have them give exclusive interview or two.

[featherfire]

I'd be more interested (in terms of research for this, that is) on Elisabeth's recovery, though even with her the situation isn't really the same. Those children were kept in basically a dungeon, never allowed to see the sun or have contact with anyone but their mother and Josef. Mine are very well-cared for, and allowed outside and have a lot of privileges... but I am (and have been) trying to read up more on the case as well as that of Natascha Kampusch.

[corvideye]

Not a direct answer, but "A House in the Sky" by Amanda Lindhout is a really amazing (and heart-breaking) book about a young woman surviving several years of being a captive in Somalia, including torture and sexual abuse. She did NOT experience Stockholm syndrome, but she did attempt to convert to Islam in hopes of being treated better by her captors (this ultimately backfired in distressing ways). It's very psychologically insightful about the situation in general. She also talks somewhat about her difficult re-adjustment to freedom and normal life. Her male travelling companion was also captured and held, but experienced somewhat better conditions because their fundamentalist captors regarded him more as a person, not a chattel. There's also the painful situation for their families back home, because the US government doesn't ransom captives, so they had to struggle for years to raise money and get help, amid regular phonecalls from the militia headman who was holding their relatives hostage. Anyway, I highly recommend it,

[featherfire]

If nothing else, I'm always looking for new books. That one sounds really good. Thanks!

I do know about Patty Hearst, it's a fascinating case.

Deprogramming, yes, that's a good term for what they might need. I'll look into that.

[expandingshrink]

Hello,
Stockholm Syndrome is not a recognized, diagnosable condition anywhere. Because it is not clinically recognized, there is no research on evidence-based treatments.
If they feel stress afterwards and their reaction to this stress is maladaptive, they may qualify for Adjustment Disorder, pending a diagnostic investigation. Otherwise, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be able to live/function on their own unless they have a independent, co-occurring condition. Any attachment or empathy they might form towards a captor as a survival mechanism may not be present afterwards, as they are removed from the situation and do not need that survival strategy.

A resource:
Namnyak, M., Tufton, N., Szekely, R., Toal, M., Worboys, S., & Sampson, E. L. (2008). 'Stockholm syndrome': Psychiatric diagnosis or urban myth?. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 117(1), 4-11.

[featherfire]

It seems unfair that they'd just be sent off into the world with no idea how to fend for themselves, but you raise some very good points and that's probably exactly what would happen. But I do have some ideas how I could make it work (and I've pulled up the paper you mentioned). Thank you very much!

[expandingshrink]

Well, in order to bill insurance, there needs to be a diagnosable condition. Otherwise people would have to pay out of pocket for counseling, and I'm guessing they probably can't afford that (maybe their families can, idk). But if I remember correctly Stockholm Syndrome was coined as a defense when a young woman was "held captive" and robbed a bank because she was "brain washed"--so basically trying to remove any culpability through a hoakey-sounding defense. These characters may be linked up with a social worker or case worker instead if they didn't have families/resources available.

Jaycee Duggard, Amanda Berry, and especially Amanda Knight did not feel attached to their captor, so I don't think that would be helpful.

[featherfire]

Ugh, you're right and I didn't even think about that. This is the US, it's not just going to be free. -_- I suppose there will be a social worker to make sure nothing bad happens to them, help them with getting jobs etc. M will have to be released back to his family, K will probably be like HE'S MY BROTHER, I'LL TAKE HIM and S will just be on his own, good luck kid. He's smart and resourceful though, it's not him I'm worried about at all.

The term was around before that... I believe you're talking about Patty Hearst in 1974 (I think). That's just the most famous case. The term Stockholm Syndrome was coined in 1973 when a bank in Stockholm was robbed and the hostages started to feel sympathy/empathy for their captors and resisted efforts to free them.

[bunnybutt]

I'm a little puzzled why no one else has suggested these primary sources, but you might look into the books written by and interviews done by Jaycee Duggard, Amanda Berry, and Michelle Knight for first-hand accounts of their experiences after rescue/arrest of their captors. All were adults at the time of rescue, so that may give you a sense of how the process goes.

[featherfire]

I have, a little, but as the poster above you said they did not feel any strong attachment to their captors... not like this, at least.

[bunnybutt]

You should look again. Both Duggard and Berry talk extensively about the connection they have with their captors/ambivalence about their feelings upon rescue. If you're having trouble mapping across genders, which I sense from your dismissive attitude about the cases mentioned involving females, then you might find more similarity to your fictional abuse scenario with the Kevin Staynor or the Shawn Hornbeck cases.

[featherfire]

My apologies if I sounded dismissive, that wasn't my intention (though I do have trouble writing about women... that's why I don't do it). But from what I read (I did read more about Natasha Kampusch and Elisabeth Fritzl, so it's not all women) it didn't seem like those had enough in common with my story to help. But I'll look again.