Cathy Meyer vs. National Organization for Women on the Subject of Parental Alienation Disorder

Cathy Meyer, a Huffington Post writer, recently wrote an article regarding a statement from the National Organization for Women (NOW) Foundation and their response to the requested inclusion of Parental Alienation Disorder into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the American Psychiatric Association's guide in regards to medical diagnoses.

While the article takes apart some of NOW's points, it makes an extremely important point in regards to Parental Alienation Disorder, otherwise known as Parental Alienation Syndrome.  The writer of argued response, Tracy Simmons, brings about the fact that she feels "there is nothing scientific about a syndrome/disorder whose only symptoms are a uterus, divorce papers, and bruises."  What Cathy Meyer argues is that while it is a number of father's rights groups and activists that are asking for PAD/PAS to be included in the DSM V, the syndrome itself is not gender specific--a family therapist in Colorado Springs states that fifty percent of perpetrators are male.

Tracy Simmons also called Parental Alienation Syndrome / Parental Alienation Disorder "junk science" and an "abuse excuse."  However, any parent or child who has been a victim of Parental Alienation Syndrome / Disorder knows that the actions of a misguided parent can cause much psychological harm to a child--and can leave lasting scars both mentally and emotionally for those involved.

Read Cathy Meyer's rebuttal against the National Organization for Women.  It is nice to hear a WOMAN defend something that us fathers have dealt with for years, and to recognize that this is something that truly needs to be addressed in the professional medical field to help EVERY parent protect their children from years of emotional damage and feelings of abandonment from the other parent.

Parental Alienation: It's About More Than "A Uterus, Divorce Papers and Bruises" by Cathy Meyer