By Dr. Gloria Morrow
The recent rescue of Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Berry’s 6-year-old daughter was an unexpected and amazing miracle. Images of the survivors of this trauma portrayed the joy, relief, and excitement they felt about being reunited with those they were forcibly separated from 10 years ago.
At first glance, it appears the resiliency and strength of the three survivors will enable them to return to their lives fairly unscathed by their ordeal. It is fortunate that the women were together which may have prevented them from feeling isolated and alone causing them to experience heightened fear and anxiety. Further, the birth of a child may have also contributed to a sense of hope and positivity, even if they believed they would never escape from their captor.
In some cases, when victims have not adequately developed the cognitive skills necessary for survival, they may develop a strong bond with their captor, resulting in Stockholm Syndrome, which is a condition where hostages become sympathetic to their kidnapper. Regardless to how they were treated over the past 10-years, there is no question that these young women experienced some level of trauma which can impact them psychologically well into adulthood.
When hostages are returned, they still may suffer from a depressive disorder and/or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD). According to the DSM-IV-TR, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after a person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present: (1) The person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others, and (2) The person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
Persons suffering from PTSD persistently re-experience the traumatic event in one of the following ways: recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. People suffering from PTSD may experience a variety of symptoms, such as sleep problems, nightmares, flashback and replays, impaired memory, inability to concentrate, hyper vigilance, irritability, panic attacks, obsessions, feeling of nervousness and anxiety, and even depression.
Furthermore, adult victims of childhood sexual assault may have a difficult time with interpersonal and love relationships. It will be extremely important for these survivors to receive psychotherapy immediately in order to heal from their traumatic experience.