Stockholm syndrome

THE horrific story of teenager Natascha Kampusch, held prisoner in a suburban dungeon for nearly a decade, has put the spotlight once again on the bizarre condition of Stockholm syndrome.

Many people will be unable to comprehend why a little girl kept imprisoned in a pit beneath a garage for eight years would show him anything but hatred.

But the phenomenon of an emotional bond developing between victims and their captors was first noticed after a siege in the Swedish capital in 1973.