Background: The historic, one-of-a-kind conference “From Ideology to Inclusion: Evidence-Based Policy and Intervention in Domestic Violence” was held in Sacramento, California February 15-16 and was a major success. The conference was sponsored by the California Alliance for Families and Children and featured leading domestic violence authorities from around the world.
One of the issues Dr. Dutton discussed at the conference is domestic violence between lesbians. This is an important and relevant issue, of course, in part because it provides a look at Intimate Partner Violence without the pervasive assumption that the violence in families is almost always caused by men. It also allows us to examine Intimate Partner Violence outside of the feminist Duluth model, which says that it is men who commit IPV, and they do so as part of their role in the patriarchy.
Dutton cited one study of 1,100 lesbian or bisexual women who are in abusive lesbian relationships. The study, which was conducted in Phoenix, found that the women were more likely to have experienced violence in their previous relationships with women than in their previous relationships with men.
Dutton explained that in general research shows that domestic violence is more common in lesbian relationships than in heterosexual relationships.
Further reading:
DV Conference Report #8: Violence is more common in lesbian relationships than in heterosexual ones
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The web site My Trip to Oz and Back to which this blog entry links is an apparently factual letter describing a relationship between two women, one of whom was a Borderline. When you first read it, you may identify with Chris (the non-BP) being a man and Terry (the BP) being a woman as it may be confusing as the site doesn’t come right out and state that this BP destructiveness was taking place between two women.
This goes to show that destructive Borderline behaviors have little or nothing to do with gender. There are Borderline men, too, who harm their lovers and children just as Borderline women do. We as a society need to learn to recognize Borderline behaviors and to help protect the victims and to get the ill into effective mental healthcare, regardless of their gender or sexuality.
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Here’s an intriguing look into the miserable lives of a loving father, his new partner, and the psychopathic ex-wife who appears to suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder. If you’re going through a divorce with a Borderline or think you are living with a Borderline, this site will give you some hope that you are not alone.
The Psycho Ex-Wife blog
Judge Diane E. Gibbons Confirms Herself An Enemy of Free Speech and Supporter of Abuse By Silencing The Psycho Ex Wife Website
In San Joaquin County, California, CPS social worker Charlotta Royal removed the children of the Rogers family from their home without a warrant. She cited “medical exigency” as the reason as there was evidence of bottle rot and malnutrition. However, neither of these are emergency conditions that necessitate bypassing the courts to determine appropriate action.
The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution includes this text in section 1:
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
The United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found in
ROGERS v. COUNTY OF SAN JOAQUIN, No. 05-16071 that CPS case worker Charlotta Royal taking actions without due process or emergency violated the 14th Amendment and stripped the case worker of immunity to prosecution and lawsuit.
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This author’s site is really impressive for his bravery and insight. He’s a Canadian man suffering from BPD and other mental illnesses who is trying to recover. His illness started to show up severely shortly after his son was born. His particular “flavor” of BPD involving a lot of suicidality and self-mutilation, but he discusses many other aspects of BP behaving such as the rages, problems with medication, and more. What makes his site so remarkable is that he is a former mental health care counselor and therefore has a lot of especially interesting insights that challenge some of the popular notions of what drives BPs to behave the ways they do.
A inside perspective into living with a multitude of mental disorders from Depression to Borderline Personality Disorder to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The thoughts and experiences of such topics as suicide, self harm, psychotic episodes, flashbacks, hospitalizations, therapy, medication, society in general and many more.
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In
Early Sea Changes in Borderline Personality Disorder, Robert O. Friedel, MD, describes the progress that is being made on understanding the biological and social causes of BPD. He describes the growing awareness of BPD and wider investment in research to understand its causes. He mentions some of the psychiatric medications (
SSRIs and mood stabilizers) and nutritional supplements (Omega-3 fish oils) that have been found to reduce BPD symptoms. Finally, he cites logistical and organizational challenges to treating BPD which include the lack of Medicare billing codes, refusal to diagnose patients with BPD even after a decade or more of treatment, and the lack of adequately trained psychiatrists and therapists who are capable of treating BPD patients.
The end of the article includes references to additional sources of information and assistance.
This web site (linked here and below) has a chapter from a book written by an author (Erin Pizzey) who founded DV shelters for women in the 1970s. She talks about what many people run into during a divorce, especially with a spouse who suffers from a personality disorder such as BPD. Despite the author’s background in dealing with violence against women, she clearly states that it is not only men who are abusive. She discusses how women can be “emotional terrorists” and do immense damage to families, even leading to the deaths of family members. She notes that many of these emotional terrorists cause the breaking up of families and further become highly active during divorces, using false allegations, financial ruination, litigation, threats, defamation, child abduction, refusal to cooperate with visitation and custody orders, and other means to control and dominate their families and ex-spouses.
The Emotional Terrorist and the Violence-Prone
Psychiatrist Leland Heller says he’s got unique and effective psychiatric medicine plans for victims of BPD and other mental health disorders that are hard to treat. He’s also got a wealth of information posted on difficult-to-treat mental health disorders. Take a look at his book and also his website at Biological Unhappiness for more information.
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The link below refers to a brief introductory article that talks about BPD. It might help “get the ball rolling” to talk with friends and family about BPD.
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