People who experience severe and unexpected trauma or repeated, unpredictable exposure to abuse often develop psychological symptoms that may affect their ability to function long after the original trauma is over.

They may believe that they are essentially helpless, that they lack the power to change the situation. They often develop coping responses that take the place of the type of active response that would normally be expected under the circumstances — for instance, escaping a painful situation.

The world stops making sense, and the person becomes literally incapable of trying to change it; she chooses only the responses she believes will protect her from further suffering. This can lead to a learned helplessness response or another syndrome called post-traumatic stress disorder. This type of psychological injury is often seen in people who have suffered prolonged isolation and mistreatment in an abnormal situation. PTSD may be brought on by a single, extremely traumatic event.

Yet its consequences are often more severe in people such as battered women and abused children because of prolonged terror and abuse.

It is essential to recognize the battered woman syndrome as a terrified human being’s normal response to an abnormally dangerous situation. It is not a form of mental illness, though many psychologists feel that professional counseling is important to help the victim fully recover and begin to enjoy life again. Usually, when a woman gets free of the abusive home, the “abnormal” coping behavior disappears, although she may suffer other long-term effects of having been traumatized.

Where there are merely short respites from violence it allows the woman an opportunity to become numb to the reality of the situation. As the cycle continues, the woman becomes physically and mentally exhausted. The control tactics can virtually destroy her ability to think clearly.

Her perceptions are distorted to the point where she believes she is incompetent, she deserves to be abused, and she can’t leave.

Battered women who manage to keep an optimistic outlook may have an even more difficult time breaking free. They often keep hoping, praying and trying to change themselves, convinced that the relationship will get better and the abuse will stop.

Carolene Britt is a counselor at Southwest Mississippi Mental Health Complex. She can be reached at 601-446-6634.