Tragedy

Recovery Rare for Kidnap Victims

Jaycee Lee Dugard faces immense challenges.

Mental-health experts have few examples to guide them when trying to determine whether Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was kept in captivity for 18 years, will recover from her brutal experience. Dugard was found this week at a California compound where she had been kept by Phillip Garrido since she was 11. She now has two children fathered by her kidnapper. According to psychologists who spoke with the Los Angeles Times, Dugard’s first concern will be getting reacquainted with her mother, although not too quickly. They say she is at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. A 2000 study of 24 kidnap victims from Italy found that nearly 50 percent suffered from the disorder. "The picture is not rosy," one expert said.