Did you know that it is illegal to coerce someone to take an unwarranted psychiatric medical procedure? Yet, it’s common practice in domestic violence divorce.
For decades people have asked me why I left Chicago? It was such a horrific nightmare that I wrote a book about it just to get it out of my system and to document the facts as I stood in the wake of the experience. (You can find that here All But My Soul: Abuse Beyond Control, 2001)
My narcissistically abusive ex and his legal team were relentlessly attempting to have me institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital to do what they called a 30 day “psychiatric evaluation.” This effort being sought after thorough psychiatric evaluations showing myself as having no psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever and my ex evidencing narcissism as stated in the interpretive reports.
When I wouldn’t comply with their relentless coercion, they resorted to leaning on a politically biased corrupt Judge to execute their wishes via court order. I won’t bore you with the details of the measures employed in their attempt to pull this off. Suffice it to say, I said “No, I’m taking my sanity, my mental faculties and my criminal free record, and I’m out of here.”
If I had to do it again today, I’d do the exact same thing. Far too often, women (more than men) fall prey to this ploy and end up as psychiatric casualties, and in many cases psychiatric vegetables, through forced psychotropic pharmaceuticals and electro shock treatments.
Many of these women believe that if they just follow along that they will ‘get to see their children.’ But what ends up happening, more often than not, is that these women can ‘see’ their children while standing in a deranged and often catatonic state behind bars…because they are essentially locked up—and doped up—in psychiatric institutions.
Silencing battered women in psychiatric institutions is as as old as prostitution. A closer look at these dynamics of psychiatric tyranny reveals a microcosm of the pressures on much of humanity today.
Psychiatric Sovereignty Is Golden
If you are faced with someone telling you that you must submit to an unwarranted psychiatric procedure in order to do or have anything of value to you, then realize this important fact. You are being manipulated to choose between your right to your bodily health and wellbeing over that which is being dangled in front of you like a carrot…which you likely won’t get anyway.
At the end of the day, it’s your choice. I see many women entangled in this ploy because they truly believe that all of their worthiness is tied to their relationship with their children. Abusive intimate partners in family court enjoy this maneuver because they know that to be true.
These people have spent years conditioning the worthiness out of their intimate partners as a means to gain and maintain control. If you are at these crossroads in your life wherein you are being manipulated and coerced to engage in anything that potentially compromises your psychiatric wellbeing, take a hard and fast look at the dynamics of legal psychiatric abuse.
For insights on crazy-making legal abuse in divorce court , visit www.enddomesticabuse.org/crazy_making.php Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D. helps individuals and couples worldwide recognize, end and heal from domestic abuse.
For a wealth of information and real-life insights on abusive relationships, visit https://innersanctuaryonline.org and start your Free 7-day trial today. Inner Sanctuary Online is designed to help you with the challenges of abusive relationships, from identifying them to influencing change within them to healing during and after them.
© Dr Jeanne King — Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention
I’ve been a family caretaker of a paranoid schizophrenic sibling for the last 30 years. I couldn’t even get a fully psychotic adult man who was a clear danger to himself and society (who already had a 15 year psychiatric medically documented history & medication history) into a psychiatric hospital with police, psychiatrists, mental health workers, family doctors… (you name it, I tried it) police refused to give my sibling a police escort to the psychiatric emergency room to save his life (not to mention protect society)… The police left & my sibling ended up in a hospital nearly shot to death & the shooter ended up in jail… even though the shooter mistakenly thought he was protecting his family from my sibling (who was in a full psychotic break & menacing the shooter’s family) — just because the “chain of psychiatric command” was so outrageously incompetent. Can you PLEASE state how these corrupt chains of power managed to do the “impossible” when I cannot even get a legitimately psychotic & dangerous adult man with a long psychiatric history into a safe hospital hold?? Thank you for helping to expose this psychiatric nightmare! All of us need to expose the corruption & outrageous incompetency every chance we get — expose those who work within the “chain of psychiatric command” in society…from the top down… Judges, Family Judges, attorneys, police, psychiatric professionals, politicians & lack of funding to stop this broken, incompetent & corrupt system. I commend those who work in the psychiatric field & do their jobs well…because those are the people who are surviving in a “foxhole” alone & without any support/funding & assistance. I’m praying all those who manage to survive in the field & who actually do the hard work & give it their all do not burn out & leave their profession…which seems to be the reality.
Yes the crossroad between psychiatry, law enforcement and the “justice” system is scary. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hello Dr. King, I have been following you for several years and have benefited greatly from your insight and truths regarding narcissistic abuse. I have been through a LOT. I was forced into a mental institution by the narc lying to the police after he put his hands on me. After the shock of this, he went and closed the door to his hallway. I got up off the floor and grabbed a knife and stabbed the door, only. The police ask him was I on medication and he said yes. They kept trying to get him to lie and say that I hit him. I want to tell you my story. I was taken to a psychiatric institution where they tried forcing me to take psych drugs. I had to voluntarily check-in or I was told that they would get a court order forcing me to do so. Long story short, the drug and alcohol tested me, (all were negative) except my HBP medicine and anxiety medicine. I stayed 2 weeks. The staff discovered that I was honest and telling the truth but I still am facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The police wanted him to sign their form and they told him they would minimally give me 2 years in prison. He would and did not but it is ongoing. I just graduated with my degree in criminal justice and will obtain my bachelors of science in 2022. I am a recipient of the Ronald McNair scholarship. My experience was dehumanizing and I suffer from PTSD, panic attacks, severe anxiety and paranoia from being abused over the years. I was dumbfounded but before the 2 weeks were up, I never took any medicine other that my HBP medicine. They were almost relentless in trying to make me take psychiatric drugs. I emphatically and unrelentlessly stood my ground and said no. I ended up winning over the staff because my conduct was so outstanding that I helped other patients mentally and emotionally. I was proud and thank God. I have copies of the paperwork. Only one Dr. said the exact opposite of every other doctor and that speaks for itself. I saw that they wanted to quickly get me addicted to drugs and then they could use that against me. I don’t need psychiatric drugs nor have I ever. I have my medical conditions and my 1 pill works fine. I have to be able to function and continue to do great in school. This has all caused me considerable pain and heartache. I went to jail after being released days later. I had to be bonded out by waiting on my stimulus check to come. The cruelty of all of this had taken a part of my soul. Understanding this kind of life-altering methodology is crushing, devastating, and constant weight. My record is not clear and it is awful to have been in a 20-year abusive marriage and then to meet a narc. I didn’t understand what it meant but I do now. Where do I go from here? The DA is going to decide whether to bring charges. This is unbelievable.
Oh my God… I’m so sorry to hear you are in this situation. Yes it is devastating and how well I understand. Let me know if there is anything I may do to help you. Blessings and many thanks for sharing your story. You are not alone.
This was my life. “Get to see their children” hit me in the gut. My abusive ex did this to me numerous times. By God’s grace, every place refused to commit me because I had all of my faculties. We are going back to court in OK. He will use this again. Now I know to say no. I am having trouble finding proof that it really is illegal to coerce into a psychiatric facility. Do you have recommendations on where to look?
I can help you with that… write to me on the contact us here on this website. (Sorry for my delayed reply.)
I can trace this in my own family back to 1899 when my great grandfather admitted my great grandmother into the Oregon State Insane Asylum. In those days, it didn’t take much to admit someone. He had been verbally, emotionally, and mentally abusing her for years according to my grandfather who was 9 at the time she went in.
He later attempted his same tactics on my grandfather because he wanted his successful homestead. The town fathers put a stop to it.
He started to try the same tactics on his 2nd wife and she kicked him out of the house until he could apologize. She had been a widow and knew how men and women should treat each other. His devisiveness is sickening.
Not until I was 62 did I realize that my step-father, my 1st husband of 7 years, and my 2nd husband of 30 years were all narcissistic too. I have stopped it by getting out. My children have made so much better choices.
Thank you for sharing this Dr. King.