Monday, March 3, 2014

PTSD, Chris Brown and Violence Against Women

According to an article in Rolling Stone, the rehab facility where Chris Brown is receiving treatment for substance abuse reports his actions (including assaults against Rihanna) may be attributable to PTSD and bipolar disorder.  "Mr. Brown will… require close supervision by his treating physician in order to ensure his bipolar mental health condition remains stable," the letter says. "It is not uncommon for patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar II to use substances to self-medicate their biochemical mood swings and trauma triggers. . . . Mr. Brown became aggressive and acted out physically due to his untreated mental health disorder, severe sleep deprivation, inappropriate self-medicating and untreated PTSD."

First of all, I find it very interesting that the facility appears to engage with Mr. Brown’s publicist in trying to do damage control by releasing information to the public that excuses his behavior.  Secondly, let’s not fall into the trap of believing that every abuser’s actions are due to PTSD or some other mental health disorder.  I don’t know what in Chris Brown’s personal history may have led to the diagnoses of PTSD.  However, I do know that Chris Brown has lived in a culture that endorses violence against women and by blaming it on PTSD this culture ends up minimizing the impact of other causes of violence.



Violence against women is not caused by mental illness, substance abuse, anger, loss of control, anxiety, problems in the relationship, or the actions of the victim.  It is caused by a need for power and control and a disregard for women as individuals with their own rights.  There is usually a pattern of coercive control that accompanies or leads to the violence.  If the violence was due to any of the above, then the violence would be directed beyond just women. 

It is my hope that any treatment for PTSD and bipolar disorder for someone with Chris Brown’s history would also include a focused long-term batterer’s intervention program that addresses the culture of violence of against women, stops the violence and prevents the reoccurrence of future violence while ensuring victim’s  safety by:  identifying abusive behaviors, teaching alternatives to violence, exploring the impact of violence and abusive behavior on intimate partners, children and others, and assisting the individual in examining the beliefs they hold about the violence


13 comments:

  1. Well written and to the point. I have little sympathy for the individual, unfortunately his victim, Rihanna, is still associated with him. I feel as its merely a matter of time until history repeats itself again.

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  2. Well said, Linda. I couldn't agree more. I was disgusted when I read the news report trying to justify his behavior. The world needs so much more education about abuse!

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    1. When I read the first paragraph...all I could think was....well I can't say on this public forum.... but it sounds like fantasmagorical justification if I have ever seen it! What I do not get is it seems if victim uses this kind of thing in their defense- it tends to work against them. If abusers have mental health issues it becomes part of the reason to support them. Not always but often.

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  3. Seriously? This is NOT justification of Chris Brown's behavior. It possibly could be a statement of fact. Look I lived 30 years of abusive relationships. Two different men. There ARE indications with MOST abusers of untreated bipolar disorder AND personality disorders. Do your research and STOP speculating about the why behind violence. The last time I checked "rap" music wasn't around two hundred years ago. Men were beating women then also. Grow up and stop listening to ignorant statements. Educate yourself!

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  4. Giving this below report is try to justify the health and safety to support on the personality to take a mental health issues to reduce on this article this is stunning!!
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