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What's the difference between "Parental Alienation" and "PA Syndrome?"

By Wayne Parker, About.com

Question: What's the difference between "Parental Alienation" and "PA Syndrome?"

Answer: There is a clinical psychological disorder called Parental Alienation Syndrome. This syndrome is the extreme of parental alienation. In order to be diagnosed with PAS, a child must experience parental alienation at a very deep level. Mental health professionals will look at the degree, completeness, and intensity of the child’s behavior and feelings. It takes a pretty extreme case of parental alienation to real the level to qualify as a syndrome.

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