I am adopted.
I have PTSD and depression.
These have nothing to do with the fact that I am adopted.
My son has a
Take Autism.
Adoption doesn’t cause Autism. I don’t believe that is even a remote possibility. While the exact cause of Autism is unclear, I am certain that it isn’t adoption. Not every child that is adopted has Autism and not everyone that has Autism is adopted.
Take Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder are a broad category of diagnosis, much like the world of Autism. There are varying levels of the disorder. Unless I was the birth mom and drank during my pregnancy, our adopting him two years after he was born didn’t cause the FASD. There are people born with FASD whose moms had no idea they were pregnant when they had that last drink of alcohol, so please don’t assume that I am shaming birth moms who drink alcohol.
Take Reactive Attachment Disorder.
I would argue that even if he had spent the last 17 years in foster care, he’d still have Reactive Attachment Disorder. So in my mind, this isn’t caused by adoption. It can be acerbated by adoption, worsened by adoption, but it wasn’t caused by adoption. I’d say that the issue here is that the people who gave birth to him never had a single contact with him after his birth as a good starting point for this disorder.
Take Borderline Personality Disorder.
This is another disorder that can have many sources. Childhood trauma such as abandonment is thought to be a potential cause.
Can adoption be traumatic?
Yes, it can. It can also be a fantastic experience for the whole family. I know a number of people who are adopted who live happy healthy mental illness free lives. If adoption was a mental illness or caused mental illness wouldn’t all that are adopted be affected in the same basic way?
There are many misconceptions regarding adoption. Personally, I don’t think that growing up in an orphanage is better than having a forever family created thru adoption. There are many loving parents who have opened their hearts and homes to children who would otherwise never have a family to call their own.
I don’t expect to sway anyone to my side of the discussion. I am just trying to refute the claims of those who believe that adoption causes mental illness.