
Criteria Clusters in Diagnosing PTSD The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition), tells us there are eight criteria for diagnosing PTSD. The three criteria that must be present for a PTSD diagnosis are: Diagnosing PTSD Criterion Cluster 1 Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one…

I left my abusive marriage just like Susan, the author of the story below. Focusing on this part of her story is important because although staying in an abusive relationship isn’t easy, living after leaving one isn’t easy either. It’s wonderful to think that after leaving abuse life will go straight back to normal. But…

Do you have these verbal abuse symptoms? If you are depressed, anxious, lonely or feel you do not know who you are anymore, or many other debilitating conditions both mental and physical, you might be a victim of verbal abuse and domestic abuse or violence.
What I didn’t understand at the time was that if Will wanted to lash out at me, it did not matter what I said or did or how I said or did it. The purpose of yelling at me, accusing me of lying, telling me I was a horrid mother, insisting I was cheating and…

Our family is and was dysfunctional as they grew up. The effects of Will’s and my behaviors affected them greatly but in very different ways. However, they are not children anymore and I want to give them more privacy than I did when they were “my babies” and minors growing up in abuse.