Read TRTD by Patrick Harnish here. No use of this information is granted unless permission is asked for and granted by the author. Thank you. I hope that this paper helps to define a little more about what I classify as more of a thought disorder, and not a stress disorder. Everyone has stress in their life, and most are able and capable of dealing with most of it. I tend to be on the side that says that thoughts can be destructive to the person’s mind, and it is my opinion that is better fixed the sooner it is found. Simple surveys could be constructed to show the parameters outlining what I have talked about, and you would be surprised at the response you will get from those that suffer. Many of the characteristics associated with abuses will show up, but it is imperative to understand the effects of why it has happened.
Whats worse is when they cycle starts to shorten like this. As you can see by this illustration that the child adapted to his/her environment, and after a few years, the cycle turns shorter. You may see a sharp increase in snap temperament conditioned by the children around the victim. The victim has some trouble at this point with mixed traumas that are suppressed and further lumped together. The child tries their best at this point to keep the traumas at bay but avoids telling as they feel they still have the fight/flight possibilities to consider. Their depression starts to worsen but, they still look for ways to further deteriorate the situation. By this point the child is concerned enough that an adult has been told at least 3 times. After no one has done anything to rectify the situation to correct the safety and satisfaction level of the victim, the child views their life to be hopeless and somewhat helpless in the situation. Suicide appears and is thought about by the victim as an alternative to the struggle. With this next cycle, you can clearly see that the child is struggling pretty hard to stay afloat. In this cycle the child needs to have immediate help, or a tragedy starts to unfold. Based on most of the information I have collected, over 8 years is the typical timeframe that a child will snap, and try to cause either injury to the bully, or to themselves. However, this model can be adjusted in timeframe as each child is relatively different in how long a child can endure the bullying. For some, it may be a four year period for others, it may take longer. In this last cycle, the student struggles, emotions are very low, tends to be very aggressive, and when interviewed will show that they lock you out as a principal psychologically. They may look at you for a second, but they don’t after that. The victim has the attitude that they don’t care, nor do they want to, because if they do, then they would likely have to unlock that pain inside them. It is no longer a thought, nor an emotion that they sit in front of you being quiet, it is like a habit developed to be able to hide the pain. If they do open up, be prepared for what you might hear, and know that you must act fast to get the child help before it turns into this next cycle. This cycle represents what happens when a child tells, and feels compelled to flee for their safety. As a counselor, the easiest way to tell is by examining the child, because as they talk to you, they will look around, emotions will show, and it may be hard for them to talk. If they act as if someone is listening or always checking around them, then that child needs immediate help, or they will run.
