Affluenza
Many of you have heard about the recent affluenza case. I had an interesting experience with the media regarding this issue.
First of all there is no actual psychiatric disorder called affluenza. Psychologists and psychiatrists use something called the DSM, which stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which we use to diagnose disorders. The affluenza diagnosis was made up specifically in the court case. There is nothing in the DSM that considers this as a diagnosis. While the diagnosis does not exist, some of the symptoms do. That is if someone grows up without boundaries, they will not learn right from wrong. They are given the freedom to do whatever they want, and they don’t have to take responsibilities. Children do want boundaries, whether they admit it or not, because it makes them feel safe, and that the world is a predictable place. Lack of boundaries may fly in some families, but unfortunately it doesn’t fly with the law. This is a sad outcome of parents not teaching or enforcing boundaries for their children, because eventually someone will-whether it is in school or the law. Some of the traits that they refer to in ‘affluenza’ actually fit traits of narcissism. The person feels that they are better than others, self-centered, entitled; they lack empathy, are manipulative, and feel that they deserve special treatment. They also have low self-esteem. As a parent, if our children are exhibiting these kinds of behaviors, it’s important to address them. And, being a narcissist does not excuse someone from doing harm.
Now on to the interesting experience: I was called by channel 39 to see if I would be interviewed about affluenza. In the discussion with the cameraman, he asked several questions and knew that I did not believe that it was an actual diagnosis. I shared that it fits more characteristics of narcissism, yet that did not make it into what was shown and published. He asked if I believed that they symptoms could happen in someone who never learned right from wrong. I said, “Yes”, to the symptoms. However the question on TV (which was not of the person interviewing me) was, “Does affluenza exist”, was spliced on the TV, so the impression was that I agreed that it did. It just showed how the media has a certain slant, and they will portray that slant.
If you care to see the film clip, here is the link: http://cw39.com/2016/01/07/a-surefire-cure-for-affluenza/
Take care,
Debbie
