Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) via .psychcrime.org

Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)
http://www.psychcrime.org/articles/index.php?vd=18&t=UPDATED%21+Sue+and%2For+Prosecute+Court+Psychologists+Whose+Negligence%2FIncompetence+Harms+Families
PAS is an alleged (and thoroughly discredited) “mental disorder” applied to one parent in a divorce-custody matter by the opposing party’s psychological expert in the following manner: “The child(ren) are fearful of or angry at Parent B (my client).  It appears that Parent A has been telling the child(ren) negative things about my client in an effort to make the child(ren) fear my client, refuse visitation with him, etc.  These efforts are proof that Parent A has PAS and so should not have custody of the child(ren).”
Use of this “diagnosis” sometimes obscures the fact that there may be documented reasons or logical foundations for the child(ren)’s fears or the parent’s concern, such as actual sexual abuse, domestic violence or the opposing parent’s criminal record.
PAS has never been validated by any official body and, on the contrary, has been invalidated by numerous authorities, including the American Psychological Association, which stated:
“Custody and visitation disputes appear to occur more frequently when there is a history of domestic violence.  Family courts often do not consider the history of violence between the parents in making custody and visitation decisions.  In this context, the non-violent parent may be at a disadvantage and behavior that would seem reasonable as a protection from abuse may be misinterpreted as a sign of instability.  Terms such as ‘parental alienation’ may be used to blame the women for the children’s reasonable fear or anger toward their violent father.”[xxii]
Dr. Paul Fink of Temple University's School of Medicine, called the theory dangerous:  "It was made up by one guy who spread it around.  No investigation was done, there was no research, and it's hurt a lot of women and children."[xxiii]
http://www.psychcrime.org/articles/index.php?vd=18&t=UPDATED%21+Sue+and%2For+Prosecute+Court+Psychologists+Whose+Negligence%2FIncompetence+Harms+Families

Parents who have been wronged, their children’s safety and their family’s stability further damaged by the “work” of a careless or incompetent psychologist or psychiatrist, can contact CCHR for possible assistance with their complaint. 

Attorneys and others are also welcome to contact CCHR for additional data on PAS, bogus psychiatric diagnoses in general and other data pertinent to civil or criminal matters involving psychiatric abuses. 

Please contact Steve Wagner, Director of Litigation & Prosecution, 800-869-2247 or swagner@cchr.org.