Crushing: When Humans Become More Beastly than Animals

The viral video was despicable, enraging, and saddening.  Even President Aquino responded promptly by approving a bill imposing stiffer penalties for perpetrators of such vile acts.  And for those of us who viewed the video, we could only wonder how the three teenage ladies in the video got themselves to kill a defenseless puppy by trampling on it with their bare feet. 

Animal crushing, plainly put, is animal abuse.  It is the intentional human act of torturing or murdering animals:

• for the mere thrill of doing so,
• for no apparent reason,
• to punish the animal,
• as a “punching bag” for one’s anger or frustrations in life,
• or as a focus of sexual arousal. 

People who enjoy crushing animals for the mere heck of it have sociopathic tendencies.  Sociopaths are people with a poorly-developed set of moral values. They have little or no compassion for the sufferings of other beings.  Because they lack a conscience, they do not show guilt or remorse for the wrong that they’ve done.  On the contrary, they may even feel proud of their wrong doings. 

Some sociopaths don’t only get a thrill from being sadistic towards animals, they also derive sexual pleasure from it.  This is a form of a sexual deviancy known as “zoosadism” and those who engage in said perversion are called “animal sadists.”  The pornographic material which animal sadists enjoy must have a strong element of animal torture in it coupled with sexual content.  Otherwise, if the movie just depicted naked human bodies or ordinary sexual activities, animal sadists would not get sufficiently aroused.  Movies wherein animals are tortured then killed are called “animal snuff videos.”

It’s likely possible that animal crushing has its roots in childhood, especially if children are frequently exposed to the abuse of animals.   Also, children who are victims of physical abuse may become abusers themselves when they get older, not necessarily abusing people but animals instead.

The danger in animal crushing videos is that when they are allowed to proliferate, people get easily desensitized to the vicious act until it becomes accepted as normal human behaviour.  This desensitization is reflected in some forms of animal abuse which, sadly, are culturally and legally sanctioned.  Bullfighting for instance is a popular sport which drives the whole stadium cheering in wild frenzy for the matador who repeatedly pierces the bull to its bloody death.  Or how about cockfighting or pitbull fighting wherein, amidst the excitement of its enthusiasts, the animals end up getting permanently maimed or killed?  Despite civilized society, we even pit “human animals" against each other inside a boxing ring or mixed martial arts cage, excitedly watching the opponents violently pummel each other until one is disgraced in shameful defeat. 

The point here is that we human beings have to guard ourselves against our own violent streak.  If left unchecked, the violent streak grows and gets lashed out on animals or other humans.  If we pride ourselves as being the most evolved of living creatures, it becomes our responsibility to protect the rights and welfare of those creatures whose survival depends to a big extent on our mercy towards them.   

To conclude, we must uphold the law and be vigilant against all forms of animal abuse, including animal crushing. As for producers of animal crush videos and animal crushers themselves, they clearly need a rehabilitation of the mind which hopefully can be attained through intensive psychotherapy and behavioural management.     

Filipino Actors and Actresses with Addiction Problems

So what is Claudine Baretto and Raymart Santiago up to these days? If you still haven’t heard, they’ve been viciously accusing each other of being drug addicts.  By doing so, they’ve unwittingly brought to the spotlight an issue which confronts not only them, but many other celebrities as well.  It is the issue of addiction. 

Substance addiction refers to the compulsive use of brain-altering substances.  For Filipinos, the popular substances are marijuana, shabu, ecstasy, steroids, and cocaine.  Technically, alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are also addictive brain-altering substances but are culturally and legally permissible to use.  Substance addiction is characterized by the following: 

1.  The addict’s life revolves around acquiring and using the substance.
2. The addict continues to use the substance despite the negative and serious consequences on his or her life.
3. The addict has difficulty in kicking the habit, or worse, does not want to quit.
4. The amount of substance used increases over time.     

Celebrity who has overcome addiction: Catherine Zeta-Jones

Celebrities are no different from ordinary folk in their reasons for using drugs: 

• Marijuana is commonly used as a relaxant or as a catalyst for creativity. 
• Ecstacy is the party-goer’s energizer and libido-booster. 
• Steroids are used by the “body narcissist” to enhance one’s physique. 
• Shabu and cocaine are used for weight loss and also for enhancing one’s energy level, self-confidence, sexual prowess, and/or creativity.

Celebrity who has overcome addiction: Angelina Jolie

The general treatment for substance addiction comes in the forms of drug detoxification and drug rehabilitation.  Drug detoxification is a gentle medical-neurological procedure for ridding the body and brain of the toxic effects of the addictive substance.  Drug rehabilitation is a psychological-behavioral program for eradicating drug cravings, resisting temptations, and preventing relapses. 

Although addicted celebrities apparently need professional help, it is unlikely that they will voluntarily seek it.  They automatically shun the idea of entering a detox and rehab program believing that it will spell doom and disaster for their showbiz career.

Celebrity who has overcome addiction: Johnny Depp

For one, the rehab centers in the Philippines require addicted individuals to be “locked up” from as long as 6 months to 2 years.  Understandably, actors and actresses cannot afford such a lengthy leave of absence from showbiz lest they lose projects and opportunities that could further their careers.  By being out of sight from public eye, their popularity quickly fades and they lose their fans.  Moreover, entering rehab carries with it a stigma that ruins their reputation and their bid for a showbiz comeback.

Being the ‘special people’ that they are, we have to understand that celebrities have special needs, primarily that of protecting their showbiz careers while simultaneously getting professional help for their addiction. In fact, when addicted celebrities approach me for help, they generally request for a detox and rehab program that is “celebrity- friendly.”  Asked what “celebrity-friendly” might mean, they describe it as a program that is individualized for their particular needs, strictly confidential, short-term, and done on an outpatient basis.

Celebrity who has overcome addiction: Oprah Winfrey

For the addicted actors and actresses in our local entertainment industry, all is not lost if they promptly get professional help.  Let them find hope and inspiration in Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, and Oprah Winfrey.  Not only have these four celebrities successfully “kicked the habit,” they now serve as role models to those people wanting to break free from addiction.  
             

Understanding Suicide: The Urge to End it All

News has it that actor Paulo Avelino was allegedly rushed to the emergency room of St. Luke’s Medical Center due to an anxiety attack after displaying some suicidal behaviour.  As expected, Paolo’s manager quickly doused the flames of showbiz intrigue by shrugging off the report as mere fabrication. 

Fabricated or not, any news that we hear about suicide touches in us a raw nerve and is bound to disturb us. We innately know that suicide is wrong and should never be done, and so we wonder how some people could treat life so cheaply as to snuff out their own lives.     

Suicide is defined as an intentional self-inflicted death.  The most common reason for people to attempt suicide is because of problems that cause intense emotional suffering.  Overwhelmed by a dark and heavy emotional gloom, they feel that the only way out of their problems is by ending their life.  Thus, suicide for them is not just some random or pointless act but rather, the best solution for their problems.  Although there may be other options or strategies to manage their problems, they sadly choose a permanent solution where there is no turning back.

Some people though can become suicidal even without experiencing problems or crises.  For these people, the culprit is a biological one- a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes severe emotional depression.  This type of depression may be genetic in origin, or it may be caused by certain medications (hormone pills, anti-hypertensive medication), substances (alcohol, marijuana), physiological/medical conditions (pregnancy, menopause, hypothyroidism), or other psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, borderline personality disorder).   

The greatest impact of suicidal behavior falls on family members and friends.  If the suicidal person survives the attempt, that person’s loved ones become extremely restless and fearful that another attempt may be made.  And for suicidal people whose attempts tragically led to their own demise, they leave their loved ones with a heavy burden of sorrow to be carried for their entire lifetime.    

Suicide is a true emergency needing urgent psychiatric attention.  Suicidal thoughts, threats, and behaviours have to be taken seriously rather than ignored or belittled.  Suicidal people have to be monitored 24/7 and be confined at a psychiatric facility until they fully recover from their emotional pain, desperation, and hopelessness.  

There is much help for people who are suicidal.  Through proper psychiatric interventions such as psychotherapy (intensive counselling) and antidepressant medication, suicidal people can regain hope in their lives and re-experience the joy of living.   

The Battered Husband Syndrome

Early this year, Senators Tito Sotto and Gregorio Honasan supported the filing of a bill seeking to protect men from domestic violence.  But sadly, the proposal was largely ignored and quickly forgotten.  Recently however, public interest on the issue of battered husbands was revived when Raymart Santiago made a televised claim that he was a husband who suffered battering from his wife Claudine Barretto.  But really, is it even possible for women to batter their husbands?  

Because men are typically bigger and stronger than women, people find it hard to accept the notion of battered husbands.  Battered husbands are often laughed off as ‘henpecked” men, and in Filipino society, they are often ridiculed as being “ander de saya,” “macho-nurin,” or “takuza (‘takot sa asawa’).” 

A distinction however has to be made between henpecked and battered husbands.  Henpecked husbands are men who assume a submissive role to their domineering wives.  Battered husbands, on the other hand, are victims of violence by their abusive wives. 

The violence in husband-battering comes in the form of physical, verbal, or emotional abuse commonly done by:

• humiliating the husband privately, in public, or online,
• inflicting physical harm or injury,
• being extremely jealousy or over-controlling, and
• using threats, intimidation, and blackmail.  

Although women are stereotyped as the weaker sex, husband-batterers are far from helpless and fragile.  On the contrary, husband-batterers are women who assert their power and control over their husband through psychological warfare, verbal tirades, and physical violence.  They have an obvious inability to manage their anger and are quick to retaliate when offended.  After their violent outbursts however, they may temporarily become remorseful and loving as they try to kiss-and-make up.  Husband-batterers are commonly diagnosed to have borderline personality disorder, major depression, substance abuse, or other psychiatric disorders.

A battered husband often suffers from depression, fear, anxiety, low self-esteem, and self-blame.  Despite being emasculated by his abusive wife, he chooses to stay in the relationship for a number of reasons: 

• He fears that he will be ridiculed and dismissed as an unmanly weakling;
• He wants to protect his children from the abusive mother;
• He harbors the religious belief that ‘what God has joined together, no man should put asunder;’ and for some,
• He holds on to the hope that one day, his wife will change for the better.  

What a battered husband urgently needs to do is to protect himself and his children from potential harm, even if this means separating from the abusive wife.  He needs to reach out for help from sympathetic family members and supportive friends.  He should gather as much evidence of the abuse in case a legal battle ensues. Also, he should get help from a psychologist or psychiatrist for himself, for his children, and more importantly for his abusive wife. 

Battering is still battering whether it is perpetrated by a man or a woman.  The battered husband should not be ridiculed as a shameful wimp.  Instead, he deserves compassionate help as the tortured victim of his abusive wife.