Freed Casey Anthony May Remain a Pathological Liar After Release
Experts believe that there is little to no reason for Casey Anthony to seek counseling and therapy after her acquittal and release from jail because she was rewarded for her bad behavior.
“Why would she want to go to therapy when she basically got what she wanted?” Dr. Judy Kuriansky, a psychologist from Columbia University, stated, according to ABC News.
Anthony, 25, was found not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee and also acquitted of aggravated child abuse and manslaughter.
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Though she was convicted of lying to law enforcement, her release from prison came earlier than expected because of time already served and gain time based on her good behavior.
Anthony’s legal team revealed after her release that she would need counseling to recover from the events that occurred not only during the trial, but prior to it as well, having a background of familial discord and instability.
“I know Casey’s been through an incredible traumatic event in her life,” defense attorney Jose Baez told Geraldo Rivera. “She’s got a number of them over the last 3 years. We’re certainly going to do our best to try and put her in a position where she can help herself and try and move forward in life.”
But many are wondering if Anthony will even try to “help herself” especially after being found not guilty of her charges.
“There’s no motivation to seek help,” Kuriansky, who has her own radio show called Dr. Judy, shared. “If she had been sent to jail, maybe she would want to see somebody because her style didn’t work, but it did.”
There is no magic pill that’s a truth serum for a person who’s a pathological liar, the psychologist added. It would also be exceptionally difficult for anybody to treat her, she also commented.
Psychologists like Tony Ferretti, from Melbourne, Fla., revealed to ABC News that the key to successful treatment for pathological liars like Anthony was having a desire to change, which he doubted she had.
“It’s kind of like an addict,” Ferretti expressed. “Until they acknowledge that they have a problem or desire or motivation to change, nothing is going to change.”
But if Anthony did sincerely seek change, something could be done for her.
“The behavior has been learned and can be unlearned. A person is not born a liar.”
Defense attorneys, throughout the trial, tried to blame Anthony’s parents for her learned behavior.
Her father, George, purportedly cheated on his wife, had his daughter cover up Caylee’s death, and sexually molested Anthony at a young age. Her brother, Lee, was also accused of groping Anthony while she was asleep. And her mother, Cindy, whom she always had a volatile relationship with, was caught lying under oath during the murder trial.
The unstable family gave grounds to a pathologically lying daughter, the defense claimed. Psychologists agreed.
“It’s really hard to treat,” LeslieBeth Wish, another psychologist and licensed social worker in Sarasota, Fla., told ABC.
“These are people that cannot withstand very much self-examination, but you can work on emotional regulation and helping them understand and see [things] differently. It’s a very small rope of balancing emotions and thinking.”
“You can’t say it’s impossible, but it’s [going to be] very difficult [to treat].”
Whether Anthony will receive the treatment she needs to function as a healthy individual in society remains unknown. While many see the need for therapy, she herself, may see no such need.
