Stockholm Syndrome

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Deliberately posting it like this in this vague, third person, way where I don't get into details...

1 does Stockholm syndrome exist?
2 is it possible for someone to have it 17 years after?
3 if someone has it and isn't at immediate danger or risk and knows not to act in the way the bad guy did, is it ok to leave them in that state (where they're happy) or do they have to face up to the horror of what it really was that went on? And if they have to is that for moral reasons or psychological ones? Like does it harm the individual to be naïve like that or just society in general?

1. To my best knowledge - yes;
2. I believe yes;
3. The Stockholm Syndrome itself may not need treatment but PTSD or CPTSD caused by the situation that led to SS would likely cause trouble. I would especially stress the importance of CPTSD. It can cause Borderline-like behaviors that can be seriously damaging. Note that a person with CPTSD usually does not conciously associate their symptoms with traumatic past.

Stockholm Syndrome certainly exists - the overwhelming majority of human beings have it, though it seems to reach its peak in the US, the UK and China.

magz - that makes sense, I'll look into that. If someone had cptsd would he necessarily know that there was something wrong with what happened? Not just know but feel like there was something wrong?

Prometheus - aye, I'm tempted to feel that way myself haha...

Based on patterns of adult children from dysfunctional families - the person may internalise the abuse and keep denying there was anything traumatic in their past.

Thanks. That makes sense of it.

Although I'm still not sure what's the best solution to this sort of thing? Surely it's psychologically better to not know?

Untreated CPTSD is
1) suffering
2) danger
3) likely forwarded to the person's partner and children (causing them CPTSD)

The wisest course is to get some help from a professional psychologist.

But bear in mind that you can't force one to treat their emotional problems. One needs a lot of strength and courage to face their demons, you can't make anyone except yourself choose that path.