Terri's Armchair Psych Profile

[captivagrl]

Since we're making educated guesses, I'll chime in and agree with Borderline Personality. I have an undiagnosed(professionally) close family member with this disorder. It's both horrible and sad. They will never admit to a problem due to the nature of the illness. And, even if they did there's really no effective treatment. The black/ white thinking doesn't allow for human qualities(grey areas). They put up a VERY GOOD front in public, but behind closed doors it's a living nightmare.

 

[Calliope]

Unless it was a mistake by the reporter.

I'm a bit suspicious about professionals who diagnose people on the basis of a few news articles.
While it is often possible to get a pretty good idea about a person from the news it's a bit unethical to say so, IMO, to make professional statements about people you haven't interviewed. Answering general questions about psychopaths etc. should be fine but when it's presented in the context of an article about a specific person it is a very narrow margin and your statements can easily be interpreted as a professional evaluation of that person.

I think they're just guessing, mostly. She hasn't even spoken publicly so there is very little raw material that comes straight from her, mostly it's hearsay.

Exactly.

My father worked for the Bureau of Prisons and for the last 10 years or so, out of the Federal Medical Center. From what he told me, before a prisoner could be definitively diagnosed and/or deemed competent, they were observed and evaluated for at least 90 days. No medical professional worth a damn is going to diagnose someone based upon what little we know about Terri, much less without evaluating her in person.

For these "experts" to start spouting their arm-chair diagnoses without so much as a sit-down with Terri, it's ridiculous and inflammatory.

 

[grayjay]

Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day.

People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike).

Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all.

Even with family members, individuals with BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder-fact-sheet/index.shtml

SBM

A borderline person can be proudly taking photos of the stepson one minute, and trying to be the best she can be in public, and one thing can be said, and the next minute in private, she's hurting the kid for something he says, especially if it shows he's not an extension of her, is not happy, is rejecting her ideas or efforts?

:twocents:

 

[Beatrice]

I agree...The smallest SLIGHT/REJECTION will set off the Borderline Personality. Lashing out at those she loves.

 

[TxLady2]

Exactly.

My father worked for the Bureau of Prisons and for the last 10 years or so, out of the Federal Medical Center. From what he told me, before a prisoner could be definitively diagnosed and/or deemed competent, they were observed and evaluated for at least 90 days. No medical professional worth a damn is going to diagnose someone based upon what little we know about Terri, much less without evaluating her in person.

For these "experts" to start spouting their arm-chair diagnoses without so much as a sit-down with Terri, it's ridiculous and inflammatory.

I thanked your post, but it's not enough! I very much agree with you.
I've yet to even hear Terri speak, so I have no idea what she is really like... and I would wager that very few people here do either.
These "experts" are judging her by a few blips on t.v. and what's been written about her... and that is very unprofessional, IMO.

 

[Emeralgem]

I haven't heard her speak either but one thing for certain IF she is in anyway responsible for hurting Kyron, she is either (take your pick) sick in the head or evil to the core...JMO

 

[LadyL]

attachment disorder is probable IMO

 

[eyes4crime]

Pat Brown isn't a psychologist:waitasec:

No she isn't. In order to call oneself a psychologist, the person must be licensed and have a PhD or PsyD with the exception of some school psychologists with a MA., at least that's the case for Illinois. moo

Pat Brown has a masters in criminal justice. Her interest began when she rented a room in her home to a suspected murderer. There is an interesting video somewhere of Pat talking about how she became involved in profiling and how her career developed. moo

 

[angelainwi]

My personal opinion from extensive experience with Untreated Borderline's... is that I don't think Terri is Borderline from what I have seen and heard. Elizabeth Johnson, has some traits from what I know of her up until her incarceration. Casey Anthony also has some traits.

Often it is some type of "addiction" that they use to try and fill the void. (Shopping, gambling, self injury, sex, reckless behavior, drugs, alcohol, etc.) But I've seen no evidence of that with Terri aside from one DUI. So bodybuilding would be the only thing I could see being an "addiction."

Forgive me if I am wrong but I do not see those things as addictions to try to fill a void. They are anxiety releasing behaviors, especially in the case of self-injury. Most BPDs especially women have a history of childhood sexual abuse. Drugs and alcohol are used as a way of self-medicating.

I do think it is possible that TH could have had some kind of psychotic break. She seemed to be very perfectionistic and just could not keep up with all that she thought she should do. As she lets things go this would be very emotionally horrifying for her and it is possible that she started drinking heavily as a result to drown her feelings of not being worthy and low self-esteem.

 

[Beatrice]

Since we're making educated guesses, I'll chime in and agree with Borderline Personality. I have an undiagnosed(professionally) close family member with this disorder. It's both horrible and sad. They will never admit to a problem due to the nature of the illness. And, even if they did there's really no effective treatment. The black/ white thinking doesn't allow for human qualities(grey areas). They put up a VERY GOOD front in public, but behind closed doors it's a living nightmare.

I also have a family member with this personality disorder. Recovery can only come with acceptance/acknowlegement of this "disease".

In terms of Terri, her void was fillled with her children & their activities.

Do we all remember the science fairs of our past where certain students won first prize even when it was known to all the parent's had done the project 99%?

I bet Terri was enfuriated when HER project did not win.

Renminiscent of days gone by.

 

[DairyGirl]

Honestly I never understood all the diagnoses of borderline, psychopathy, narcissistic or sociopathy. All I really know about her is from her Facebook when it was open and a few shots of her on TV. When Kyron first went missing I looked up her Facebook and I had no red flags. A few casual remarks that may not have been the best in timing but nothing terrible. The only things that might send out alarms were the DUI, the seeming inconsistencies about how long she knew DY (which may be honest mistakes), her denial of problems when KH left and the cheating her ex husband suposedly talked about, which may or may not be true. Nothing that screams psychiatric issues really. She may be depressed judging by the physical changes in the last 8 months. Maybe domestic pressures if her husband was cheating but again not confirmed.
If she harmed Kyron I honestly can't figure it out. None of her "friends" or people that knew her have come out and talked about anything other then her being a loving mother. No one (other then KH, DY and TY) has turned against her. I would think if she were displaying signs of mental illness someone would have told the media. They would eat that up.
I have to say I highly doubt the murder for hire thing. Doesn't really make sense and why wouldn't he go to the police at the time? If it were true I agree that probably shows something is wrong with her but I just don't know.
The thing that is scary is IF she did this and there were no warning signs at all, it makes us all feel vulnerable because ANYONE could snap and we'd never see it coming. Our own spouses could be capable of something bad if she did that and no one saw it coming. Until people close to her talk about her behavior I have to believe that this just came out of the blue and no one suspected it could happen. Frightening.

 

[human]

did anyone see a Today show where there are soem really harsh things that were said about her ex? I'll see if I can find it?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I don't feel that I know enough about TMH to even consider an "armchair" diagnosis, but I have plenty of experience with a family member who has schizo-affective disorder and borderline personality disorder. I can tell you that it isn't pretty, and it has been a rough ride for the family for more than 25 years. Thankfully, the psychiatric symptoms can be controlled with an ever-changing cocktail of psychotropic meds, but there is little that can be done about the borderline manifestations.

If you're interested in learning more about this serious personality disorder, I would like to recommend Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care About Has Borderline Personality Disorder.

ETA: Forgot to name authors Paul T. Mason and Randi Kreger.

 

[eyes4crime]

I'm sure if exerts of my life were discussed out of context I would fit just about any diagnosis in the DSM

The only exert of Terri's life that I find suspect is IF the murder for hire plot is true, I might think toward a narcissistic personality.

Also, seems to me that being into body building to the extent she was would require an intense focus on herself. Is that narcissistic? I don't know! By all accounts Kyron and baby girl look well cared for as does her home. Simply not enough information for conjecture. moomhomhho

 

[Haeve]

I'm sure if exerts of my life were discussed out of context I would fit just about any diagnosis in the DSM

The only exert of Terri's life that I find suspect is IF the murder for hire plot is true, I might think toward a narcissistic personality.

Also, seems to me that being into body building to the extent she was would require an intense focus on herself. Is that narcissistic? I don't know! By all accounts Kyron and baby girl look well cared for as does her home. Simply not enough information for conjecture. moomhomhho

Re: the DSM: LOL

I don't know about the bodybuilding. But my mother is narcissistic and having her children look well-cared for was part of her own image of herself as a perfect mother. She sewed us adorable outfits, took lots of photos, bought us toys and treats, kept us clean, fed, etc., etc. She did those things because you are supposed to, and also because despite her self-absorption, she had no reason not to, if that makes sense--she's not a monster, she does have decent values about how to raise children, I know that sounds like a contradiction. Believe me, I'm confused too! But she forgot to read the chapter on unconditional love, emotional support, etc.

I think for my mother, the effort to appear perfect overwhelmed her. She was a single mom. I bet if she could have been a SAHM (a wish she expressed to me--"I'm not a career girl", she said) things would have looked even better.

If you scratch the surface, you would find out that we were raised in complete squalor. A lot of energy was spent presenting the picture of the perfect family. But the pictures don't show Mom's complete inability to see us as separate people, the playing of favorites, the hyper criticism, the scapegoating, the rageaholism, not to mention the filthy living conditions, etc., etc.

She would never admit that the way were raised was at all harmful. My siblings and my problems she blames on others (or in my case, my own "poor character"). I don't know if it's because she truly believes she did nothing wrong, or she knows it was wrong but is unable to face it. First is scary, second is really sad.

Anyway, it looks like TH's kids had it far better than I did, but despite outward appearances, we don't know what sort of emotional climate TH created for her kids. Emotional abuse can be subtle and easily explained away. Again, I'm not a psychologist, just a survivor, I make no claim that conditions in the Horman home were at all like those in mine. JMHO, YMMV.

 

[xin]

Re: the DSM: LOL

I don't know about the bodybuilding. But my mother is narcissistic and having her children look well-cared for was part of her own image of herself as a perfect mother. She sewed us adorable outfits, took lots of photos, bought us toys and treats, kept us clean, fed, etc., etc. She did those things because you are supposed to, and also because despite her self-absorption, she had no reason not to, if that makes sense--she's not a monster, she does have decent values about how to raise children, I know that sounds like a contradiction. Believe me, I'm confused too! But she forgot to read the chapter on unconditional love, emotional support, etc.

I think for my mother, the effort to appear perfect overwhelmed her. She was a single mom. I bet if she could have been a SAHM (a wish she expressed to me--"I'm not a career girl", she said) things would have looked even better.

If you scratch the surface, you would find out that we were raised in complete squalor. A lot of energy was spent presenting the picture of the perfect family. But the pictures don't show Mom's complete inability to see us as separate people, the playing of favorites, the hyper criticism, the scapegoating, the rageaholism, not to mention the filthy living conditions, etc., etc.

She would never admit that the way were raised was at all harmful. My siblings and my problems she blames on others (or in my case, my own "poor character"). I don't know if it's because she truly believes she did nothing wrong, or she knows it was wrong but is unable to face it. First is scary, second is really sad.

Anyway, it looks like TH's kids had it far better than I did, but despite outward appearances, we don't know what sort of emotional climate TH created for her kids. Emotional abuse can be subtle and easily explained away. Again, I'm not a psychologist, just a survivor, I make no claim that conditions in the Horman home were at all like those in mine. JMHO, YMMV.

I have a mother like that too. Feel the love coming at ya from me!! We survived. Hard now, she's older and dementia has kicked in and can ONLY comment on herself EVERY subject is about HER. EVERY. More pronounced than ever. WE were raised by wolves dearie!

 

[Haeve]

I have a mother like that too. Feel the love coming at ya from me!! We survived. Hard now, she's older and dementia has kicked in and can ONLY comment on herself EVERY subject is about HER. EVERY. More pronounced than ever. WE were raised by wolves dearie!

(((((xin)))))

Yep, I say "raised by wolves" all the time. LOL.

Our moms: "Enough about me, let's talk about me." Your description of your mother sets my teeth on edge. I dread mom getting dementia.

OT: Local public radio station OPB just had a quick report on the RSO. It sounds like OPB, since running Kyron's story on its Think Out Loud program, is covering the story more closely than it was previously, but I wasn't listening for several days. I think OPB is the best MSM outlet in Portland in terms of ethics, balance, staying away from tabloid fodder, etc., so they will be worth watching, IMO.

 

[SleuthyGal]

So then all these 'armchair' psychologist-wannabes with no actual training or credentials, who are opining on the inner workings of TMH's mind, based on nothing but their own imaginations and projections, are really just adding a bunch of useless flotsam to the Internetweb?

 

[Donjeta]

I'm not a verified poster but it's my opinion that no professional worth their salt would ever diagnose anyone anything without the interviews and other tools. Of course, they may have hunches and make educated guesses and discuss these things if the person is not their patient and sometimes it may be pretty accurate because experience may teach you to recognize certain patterns but it would definitely be unethical to present it as a professional diagnosis.

There's nothing wrong about discussing things in general terms, e.g. psychopaths tend to be like this and narcissists tend to be like that and hiring a hitman might fit as a symptom of these disorders. It is okay as long as it's clear to everyone that they're talking generally. It may even be somewhat interesting occasionally. But it is not always clear to everyone and it's problematic when it's presented in a context of a discussion of a specific named individual in which it can be misinterpreted as a professional evaluation of a person, instead of just a glorified hunch for the sake of conversation.

We do not have enough information about Terri's mental state to make even educated guesses with any accuracy, IMO.
We have never even heard her speak, we have just seen her standing on a stage, and we have heard her family members give somewhat conflicting but not very precise accounts of her behavior.

Kaine said she was diagnosed with PPD and took medications for it and IMO if he's giving us the right information it would be hard and pretty much useless to second guess that professional opinion because the diagnosis was probably made by someone who actually met her.

Armchair analyses often make the mistake of equating one symptom with a diagnosis. He seeks attention - he's a narcissist. She is insensitive of others feelings - she's an Asperger case. She gets mood swings -she's bipolar.

One symptom, one instance of behavior, is rarely enough to diagnose anything in the mental health field and very few symptoms fit only one diagnosis. Most diagnoses require a pattern of findings that are observed for a longer period of time and news reports rarely give enough information about people's medical issues (and they usually shouldn't).

If it's a diagnosis that is needed in a criminal setting eg. to evaluate if a person's disease caused his criminal activity or made him unable to comprehend the consequences it is a much more involved process and even all qualified mental health professionals are not properly equipped to conduct such an evaluation.

 

[just]

So then all these 'armchair' psychologist-wannabes with no actual training or credentials, who are opining on the inner workings of TMH's mind, based on nothing but their own imaginations and projections, are really just adding a bunch of useless flotsam to the Internetweb?

WTH SleuthyGal? What about people who are 'solving crimes' based on the media information versus what the LE really has? Are you putting yourself into that category? I'm not trying to be rude, at all, my tone if I were to talk to you would be a jibing friend, but seriously...

Padua, I found your posts very informative and interesting. I also love the astrological posters. I like all the posters, actually! Even the ones that totally disagree with me because it shows a different POV that I usually hadn't thought of! I hope you all continue this because I think it could be very helpful to people to know the signs of mental illness.