Stockholm syndrome – Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and more

Overview

Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response that can occur when someone is held captive or abused. Victims of Stockholm syndrome form a positive bond with their captors or abusers, feeling sympathy for them and developing positive feelings towards them.  

This condition can apply to different types of abuse, including child abuse, coach-athlete abuse, relationship abuse, and sex trafficking. Treatment for Stockholm syndrome typically includes psychotherapy and medication.

Stockholm syndrome may be a psychological response of a person when held captive. Stockholm syndrome can make an individual form a psychological connection with their captors and start sympathising with them.

Stockholm syndrome also includes other trauma in which there’s a bond between the abuser and the abused person.

Many medical professionals consider the victim’s positive feelings toward their abuser.  It is a coping mechanism that they use to survive the times, weeks or maybe years of trauma or abuse.

Other closely linked psychological conditions include:

• Trauma bonding.
• Learned helplessness.
• Battered person syndrome.

What is Stockholm syndrome?

The syndrome is known after a bank robbery in Sweden in which the hostages developed positive feelings for their captors. This bond is often beneficial because it may help the victim survive the trauma of captivity or abuse. However, it also can be problematic because it may prevent the victim from seeking help or escaping the abusive situation.

Treatment for Stockholm syndrome typically involves psychotherapy and drugs.

How did Stockholm syndrome get its name?

Stockholm syndrome gets its name from a 1973 bank robbery incident in Stockholm, Sweden. During a six-day deadlock with police, many captive bank employees became sympathetic toward the bank robbers. After they were let loose, most bank employees refused to appear as witnesses against the bank robbers in court. Contrastive to things, they raised money to guard them.

What are the symptoms of Stockholm syndrome?

People who have Stockholm syndrome have:

• Positive feelings toward the captors or abusers.
• Sympathy for their captors’ beliefs and behaviours.
• Negative feelings toward police or certain other authority figures.
• Flashbacks.
• Feeling distrustful, irritated, jittery or anxious.
• Can’t relax or enjoy things that they simply previously enjoyed.
• Trouble concentrating.

People who have Stockholm syndrome have been known to develop positive feelings toward their captors or abusers over time.

What causes Stockholm syndrome?

Researchers around the world don’t know why some captives develop Stockholm syndrome.

One theory is that this is often a learned technique from our ancestors. During early civilisation, there was always a risk of being captured or killed by another group.

Bonding with the opposite party increased the prospect of survival. Some psychiatrists believe this ancestral technique may be a natural human trait.

Another theory of why this syndrome can develop is that a victim is emotionally charged in a captive or abusive situation. People can adjust their feelings and begin having compassion for their abuser over time.  

Also, victims may secure their safety by working with an abuser rather than fighting them. When not harmed by their abuser, victims may feel grateful and even view their abuser as humane.

Diagnosis and tests

Stockholm syndrome isn’t currently recognised as a psychiatric diagnosis. There are not any laboratory tests to diagnose it. The diagnosis is predicated on symptoms and the person’s history.

If an individual is concerned that they or someone they know may have Stockholm syndrome, asking a mental health professional is beneficial. A doctor or a mental health professional can help a person understand what’s happening and develop a plan to cope with the symptoms.

How is Stockholm syndrome treated?

As Stockholm syndrome isn’t recognised as a psychological condition, there’s no standard treatment. However, similar to treatment for PTSD, treatment of Stockholm syndrome usually involves psychiatric and psychological counselling and drugs.

Therapy may help a person:

• Understand their experience.
• Understanding how sympathetic behaviour toward their captors was a survival skill.
• Learn how they can move forward with their life.

If an individual has symptoms, a healthcare provider may prescribe medications to assist them in sleep or reduce their anxiety or depression.

Stockholm syndrome may be a coping strategy. Individuals who are abused or kidnapped can develop the syndrome. Fear or terror is common in these situations, but some individuals begin to develop positive feelings toward their captor or abuser. There are chances that they do not want to contact the police against the abusers.

What can cause Stockholm syndrome?

Stockholm syndrome can occur when:

• A person is held against their will, like during a kidnapping or hostage situation.
• A person is physically or sexually abused.
• A person experiences long-term emotional abuse, like in an abusive relationship.

People with Stockholm syndrome often feel like they have no choice but to obey and sympathize with their captor or abuser. They’ll think they can’t leave the situation or that nobody else would understand what they’ve been through.

In some cases, people with Stockholm syndrome become so attached to their captor or abuser that they are unwilling to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to rescue them.

To sum up  

Stockholm syndrome may be a condition that can occur when a person is held against their will or abused. It’s characterised by the person developing positive feelings toward their captor or abuser. There’s no standard treatment for Stockholm syndrome, but therapy and drugs may be helpful.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating Stockholm syndrome because the condition is not yet fully understood. In therapy, patients may go to understand their experience and how sympathetic behaviours toward their captors were a survival skill.

They may also learn healthy ways to cope with their trauma to move forward with their lives. Medications prescribed by a healthcare provider can help with symptoms like anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

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