A Family's Heartbreak: A Parent's Introduction To Parental Alienation

by Rick Ortiz

Editor, DadsDivorce.com

The very nature of the form of abuse called Parental Alienation is one that has the power to turn every aspect of the lives it touches seemingly upside-down. Powered by subtle and not so subtle, conscious and unconscious implementation of mind-control and brainwashing, the alienating parent systematically turns a child against the "target" parent.

In their book A Family's Heartbreak: A Parent's Introduction to Parental Alienation, Michael Jeffries and Dr. Joel Davies present for alienated parents a case study that offers several perspectives on this upside-down world that the entire, fractured family begins inhabiting at the onset of this form of abuse.



Jeffries and Davies began their work together when Jeffries enlisted the psychologist's help in dealing with his own family issues following his divorce. In A Family's Heartbreak, Jeffries, a journalist by trade, has crafted a resource that reads with all of the real suspense that naturally goes along with the mounting tension of an alienator's gradual overtaking of their child's mind in an effort to use the child as a weapon against the other parent.

One of the difficulties with describing or discussing or writing about parental alienation is the seemingly knee-jerk dismissals of the condition as nothing more than a misogynistic attack on women. Though all experts on the behavior agree that both men and women can exhibit alienating behavior. Jeffries deals with the problem of gender pronouns in the book's introduction, explaining that in his case the alienator was a woman, but making clear that this is not true in all cases. "I sincerely apologize to all alienated Moms if I make it appear that only Dads are victims of parental alienation," Jeffries writes. "I tried not to confuse [the reader] by using one set of pronouns to tell my family's story and another set of pronouns for generic references."

The book itself is constructed of several storytelling elements that keep things fresh. Narrative sections tell the story of the divorce and the subsequent escalation of abuse delivered via the words and actions of Jeffries youngest son who bore the weight of the abuse and, as children will, played the role of "caretaker" for the emotionally crippled abusive parent. Dialogues similar to scripts allow Jeffries and Davies to "explain" the background and motives for this form of abuse to the reader as Jeffries asks the real questions that a target parent is puzzling over: "Why is my child acting this way? Do they really hate me? Why is my ex doing this? What will happen? What should I do?" The third story-telling element used by Jeffries is the open journals and letters to Adam (the child in the middle) where a target parent tries to make sense of what is happening all around him, and writes down the things that he wishes he could say to his child, but which would surely be spat back in his face if he dared try voice them.

The story will resound in a particularly comforting and familiar way to a targeted parent as Jeffries describes the warning signs that he unwittingly dismissed during the marriage, but which resurfaced after his announcement that he was filing for divorce. Also explored are the particulars of increasingly dysfunctional relations within the fractured family, and the desperation of a parent powerless to intercede and stop the abuse.

Through its use of client/professional dialogues, A Family's Hearbreak offers not only a case study, but professional insight into the psychology that leads a parent to cling unfairly to a child to supply their emotional stability at great peril to the child's own developing personality.

One of the most difficult challenges facing the targeted parent is the difficulty in relying upon professionals such as psychologists, counselors, attorneys, guardians ad litem, and judges who truly do not understand PAS and who have not dedicated any serious studied to it. In a DadsDivorce inverview with Jeffries he admits that he was lucky to find a psychologist who truly understood the dynamics of PAS.

Jeffries handles the difficult subject with a mastery that comes from not only his personal experience but also his professional understanding of how to make the incomprehensible as clear as it can be. Suggest this book to a friend who doesn't know where to go for help.

For more information about this book, go to: http://www.afamilysheartbreak.com


Rick Ortiz is the editor of DadsDivorce.com

Risk of Suicidality in Children Treated w Strattera (Dec 05)

FDA recently alerted health care providers that treatment of children and adolescents with Strattera increases the risk of suicidal thinking. Strattera (atomoxetine) is approved to treat ADHD in patients 6 years and older.

The increased risk of suicidal thinking was identified in a combined analysis of 12 placebo-controlled trials lasting six to eighteen weeks. This analysis showed that 0.4% of children treated with Strattera reported suicidal thinking compared to no reports in children treated with placebo. A similar analysis in adults treated with Straterra for either ADHD or major depressive disorder found no increased risk of suicidality with use of the drug.

A new boxed warning will point out that children who are started on Strattera therapy should be observed closely for suicidal thinking or behaviors, clinical worsening, or unusual changes in behavior. This is especially important during the initial months of therapy or when the dose is changed.

Families should contact their child's doctor if they observe any of these signs.
Eli Lilly, the drug's manufacturer, will also be developing a Patient Medication Guide to provide this information directly to patients and their caregivers.

Warning on Liver Injury from Strattera

This is from 2005, and REGULAR blood tests should be given to patients on Strattera to make sure the drug is not damaging ther patient.

FDA is advising health professionals about a new warning for the drug Strattera, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults and children.

The drug's labeling is being updated with a bolded warning about the potential for severe liver injury in patients taking Strattera. The label warns that severe liver injury can progress to liver failure in a small percentage of patients. It cautions clinicians to discontinue the drug in patients who develop jaundice or laboratory evidence of liver injury. It also notes that the actual number of cases of severe liver injury from the drug is not known because of under-reporting.

Strattera's manufacturer, Eli Lilly, has agreed to send a letter to physicians, alerting them to the new information. The company will also update the patient package insert to include information about the signs and symptoms of liver problems.

If you learn of unexpected adverse events with Strattera, including liver damage, please report them, either directly to Eli Lilly, or to FDA's MedWatch program.

Dangers of ADHD Drugs

Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) who are taking stimulant drugs such as Adderall (amphetamine-dextroamphetamine), Ritalin (methylphenidate) and Strattera (atomoxetine hydrochloride) will soon be given a Patient Medication Guide each time the prescription is filled.

The medication guide will warn that there have been reports of sudden death in children and adolescents with pre-existing structural cardiac abnormalities or other serious heart problems who were taking stimulant drugs to treat their ADHD. Sudden death, stroke and MI have also been reported in adults with underlying risk factors for these events who took ADHD drugs.

The causative role of the stimulants is not clear because pre-existing heart problems themselves carry an increased risk of sudden death. Nevertheless, patients with known serious cardiac problems should generally not use stimulant drugs.

The medication guide will also warn about a slight increased risk for drug-related psychiatric adverse events, such as hearing voices, paranoia or mania, even in patients who did not have previous psychiatric problems.

FDA recommends that patients who may be treated with these drugs work with their health care provider to develop a treatment plan that includes a careful health and family history, and an evaluation of current health status, especially for cardiovascular and psychiatric conditions. Patients should contact a doctor promptly if symptoms develop that are suggestive of heart disease, or of new or worsening psychiatric problems.

ADHD Drugs:

• Adderall (mixed salts of a single entity amphetamine product) Tablets
• Adderall XR (mixed salts of a single entity amphetamine product)
• Concerta (methylphenidate hydrochloride) Extended-Release Tablets
• Daytrana (methylphenidate) Transdermal System
• Desoxyn (methamphetamine HCl) Tablets
• Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine sulfate) Spansule Capsules and Tablets
• Focalin (dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride) Tablets
• Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride)
• Metadate CD(methylphenidate hydrochloride)
• Methylin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) Oral Solution
• Methylin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) Chewable Tablets
• Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride) Tablets
• Ritalin SR (methylphenidate hydrochloride) Sustained-Release Tablets
• Ritalin LA (methylphenidate hydrochloride) Extended-Release Capsules
• Strattera (atomoxetine HCl) Capsules

The ADHD Fraud

Dr. Fred Baughman discusses how ADD and ADHD are subjective diseases and have no scientific evidence to prove a child has ADD or ADHD.

Biography:
Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD has been an adult & child neurologist, in private practice, for 35 years. Making "disease" (real diseases--epilepsy, brain tumor, multiple sclerosis, etc.) or "no disease" (emotional, psychological, psychiatric) diagnoses daily, he has discovered and described real, bona fide diseases.
It is this particular medical and scientific background that has led him to view the "epidemic" of one particular "disease"--Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)--with increasing alarm. Dr. Baughman describes this himself. Referring to psychiatry, he says:
"They made a list of the most common symptoms of emotional discomfiture of children; those which bother teachers and parents most, and in a stroke that could not be more devoid of science or Hippocratic motive--termed them a 'disease.' Twenty five years of research, not deserving of the term 'research.,' has failed to validate ADD/ADHD as a disease. Tragically--the "epidemic" having grown from 500 thousand in 1985 to between 5 and 7 million today--this remains the state of the 'science' of ADHD."
In addition to scientific articles that have appeared in leading national and international medical journals, Dr. Baughman has testified for victimized parents and children in ADHD/Ritalin legal cases, writes for the print media and appears on talk radio shows, always making the point that ADHD is fraudulent--a creation of the psychiatric-pharmaceutical cartel, without which they would have nothing to prescribe their dangerous, addictive, Schedule II, stimulants for--namely, Ritalin (methylphenindate), Dexedrine (dextro-amphetamine), Adderall (mixed dextro- and levo-amphetamine) and, Gradumet, and Desoxyn (both of which are methamphetamine, 'speed,' 'ice').
The entire country, including all 5-7 million with the ADHD diagnosis today, have been deceived and victimized; deprived of their informed consent rights and drugged--for profit! It must be stopped. Now!







Click on the links to listen to rest of the series.

Adjusting

If you have not done so, please click on the link in the post below and read some of the stories. Even after all this time, and I know I have said this before, but I will say it again, every time I hear these stories it makes my blood boil, and I still find myself being shocked.
When are alienators going to understand that the things they are doing are harmful to their children? I still do understand why some people choose to do the things they do, it is mostly out of love, but what is loving in teaching a child to hate the other parent? Call it love, call it selfishness, either way, there is no excuse for destroying your own child, pure and simple it is CHILD ABUSE.
The other day my husband decided to bring home a puppy. Mind you I already have one dog; he is my longtime companion shih-Tzu. He was a rescue baby, the human people in his life before coming to live with us kicked him, broke his back and a couple of ribs. They put him outside in the rain and mud, and fed him cat food. When he was found, his hair was matted to his skin and it took weeks to get him back to good health. When he first came to live with us, he was scared of us, because humans had done him so wrong. He would go under the bed or a table and sit under it hoping to go UN noticed. He trusted no one, and really who could have blamed him for the abuse that he suffered for so long. We gave him love, care and let him know that he was safe. It took some time for him to come to trust us but all these years later he could not be a happier little guy.
Back to the new puppy, it was almost like we had forgotten all the work we did to ensure a new puppy that things were going to be OK where it is now. So this little girl, who is a Heinz 57, but a really cute little mix puppy, comes into our home on Sunday. At first our older dog was not sure about the new addition, and I admit, I was a little unsure about the decision as well. But a few days later I am starting to understand and see things that had been put to the back of my mind. You see, we tend to go with what is comfortable; change is hard on us all but sometimes change is for the best.
Had we not accepted the puppy into our family, who knows where she would end up, in fact if her siblings do not find homes this week they will be in a shelter where their chances of living a long life are nil. So taking the little girl out of a bad situation for her was a good thing. But she had to adjust as well. The first couple of nights were pretty rough. First she had to learn about her new home, and our older dog had to learn to share his space, love and attention.
Even though some of us struggle with not having our kids with us, and sometimes are kids have been programmed to hate, talk back, and act out, they can adjust and change. All they need is some love, attention, and a positive role model. Yes it will take time, take some counseling, and patients on our part as adults, but it can be done.
Be persistent with your goals to prove that your children are being programmed, programming is abuse. And when you get them home, and I know a lot of you will, treat them with love like you would when you bring a new puppy home. It takes adjusting on all parties parts, but things can and will change.

Success Stories in Overcoming Severe Alienation

I found this page, and wanted to share it with you, my readers. It gives home and inspiration to those of us who are fighting with our lives just to be a part of our childrens lives, yet are being blocked out by alienators.

Read all of the stories, one of them involves a grandmother who took over... The sad reality is, that is happening more and more. Alienation is not just limited to parent - parent, grandparents are taking over our kids and alienating them too, when they do that, they are not only abusing the children, they are abusing the chidren they raised as well by manipulating their children.