“I mean, they call it Stockholm syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder.  And, you know, I had no free will.  I had virtually no free will until I was separated from them for about two weeks.” – Patty Hearst

Mental disorders effect many millions of people worldwide.  In some cases, the psychological problems experienced are exceedingly rare and/or bizarre.  Over the next few weeks I will be introducing the reader to some of these more unusual disorders.

The Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response in which an abducted hostage demonstrates sympathy, empathy, and even loyalty towards their captor(s), sometimes to the point of voluntary compliance and defense of them, regardless of the risk in which the hostage has been placed.  Although the feelings and behaviors are clearly irrational given the danger experienced, victims of Stockholm syndrome basically mistake a lack of abusive behavior from their captor as an act of benevolence.  Stockholm syndrome has, at times, been spoken of when describing cases of chronic domestic violence, rape and child abuse.  Of interest is that the FBI’s database on hostage taking demonstrates that roughly one-quarter of hostages demonstrate evidence of Stockholm syndrome.

Stockholm syndrome was named after a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in which the bank robbers held several of the bank’s employees hostage over a six-day period in August of 1973.  The hostages became emotionally attached to their captors, and ended up defending the robbers after they were freed from their ordeal, ultimately refusing to testify against them at their trial.  The story got even more bizarre when one of the gang of robbers, following being tried and sent to jail, actually ended up marrying one of the women who he had held hostage.

Individuals suffering from Stockholm syndrome suffer from a form of what is known as “traumatic bonding”.  It is not of necessity that the victim be an actual hostage as Stockholm syndrome has also been identified in other types of “slave/master” relationships including domestic violence, rape, child abuse, prisoners of war and concentration camp survivors.  Their eventual caring for, and defense of, their captor is most often an unconscious desperate attempt at self-preservation as the victim initially identifies with them out of fear of violence.  Any act of kindness on the part of the perpetrator, no matter how small, is exaggerated in the victim’s mind.  It occurs in the most psychologically traumatic of conditions and typically does not end after the crisis is over, as many of the victims will continue to support and defend their captor long after escaping captivity.

There are some classic traits of Stockholm syndrome:

• A perceived threat of physical or psychological injury, or death, at the hands of the captor/abuser.
• A grossly uneven power relationship in which the perpetrator can dictate what the victim can and cannot do.
• Belief that escape is impossible.
• The presence of a perception of any sort of small act of kindness on the part of the captor/abuser towards the victim.
• A strong sense of self-preservation on the part of the victim.
• Isolation from outside perspectives (perspectives other than the captor/abuser).

A couple of the more famous/infamous cases of Stockholm syndrome are those of Patty Hearst, a millionaire heiress, and Mary McElroy.  Patty Hearst, and her boyfriend Steven Weed, were kidnapped from their home up in Berkeley in 1974 and held hostage by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), an American self-styled left-wing revolutionary group which considered itself a type of vanguard army.  Following several weeks of captivity she apparently developed sympathy with her captors releasing audio messages to the news media denouncing her parents and proclaiming her support for, and joining, the SLA.  Shortly thereafter she was photographed by security cameras actively participating in a robbery with SLA members.  Although Patty Hearst alleged having been held in close confinement, brainwashed and sexually assaulted, she was ultimately convicted for her role in the robbery and sent to prison.  An interesting conclusion to her story is that President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979, and President Bill Clinton actually granted her a presidential pardon just before leaving office in January of 2001.

Mary McElroy was kidnapped in 1933 and held for ransom.  She was finally released unharmed.  When three of the four kidnappers were caught, tried, and sentenced to maximum terms, including one receiving the death penalty, Ms. McElroy was one of their most staunch defenders.  She apparently suffered greatly as a result of extreme guilt at the outcome of the case, taking a physical and emotional toll on her.  She ultimately took her own life in 1940.

The absolute opposite of Stockholm syndrome is Lima syndrome.  This is where the captors, over time, become sympathetic to the needs and dire situation of their hostages.   Its name was coined after a Japanese embassy hostage crisis in Lima, Peru which began in late 1996 and lasted over four months.  Fourteen members of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) took hundreds of hostages that were gathered at a party being held at the residence of Japan’s ambassador to Peru.   The hostages consisted of many very high-ranking government and military officials from many countries.  After several days of holding hostages the captors released a majority of the captives with seemingly no regard for their importance including the future President of Peru and the mother of the sitting Presiden