Diving into the Mental Health
Apr 26, 2018 23:39:18 GMT
doublefetuscreator, anwarsadatx, and 4 more like this
Post by Belle_Deviante on Apr 26, 2018 23:39:18 GMT
Serial Killers may often look like the neighbor next door, but they oftentimes are afflicted by medically definable mental disorders. These disorders may lead them to see things about the world that are not normally there, or they may allow them to commit their heinous acts without remorse. However, while mental disorders are real illnesses, Judges and juries have not often accepted the "insanity defense" for these individuals who have killed, killed, and killed again.
I hoping he does not plea a insanity defense.
On top of this cocktail of mental health issues I explore, I would also like to entertain adding PTSD from his service in Vietnam. I would speculate this opened the doors to his mental health issues.
Some Common Serial Killer Disorders
Today, criminologists define "serial murder" as the homicide of three (or more) people during an extended period of time (at least a month) with breaks of time between the murders. Like "mass murderers", serial killers may kill large numbers. However, they commit homicide repeatedly.
A few mental health disorders occur with some frequency in serial killers. Yet individuals who commit serial killing do not always display all of these conditions:
Personality Disorders
Sometimes detailed as "anti-social personality disorder" or "borderline personality disorder," this condition occurs in varying degrees. For example, anti-social personality disorder inclines someone towards lying, stealing, hurting others intentionally and generally behaving in unkind, antisocial ways. Ted Bundy illustrated this condition.
We can apply the current statements of his neighbors of him having outbursts and keeping to himself most of the time. In his crimes, he would steal from his victims. Applied intentional pain to humans and dogs. Made threatening phone calls and more. And the former cops he worked with described him as a loner.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a serious mental illness, causes changes in the structure of the brain. Several subcategories exist. Schizophrenics may receive sensory impressions without a basis in objective reality. A growing number of experts believe schizophrenia involves a genetic component; inheriting certain genes may make it more likely an individual will display symptoms of schizophrenia. Today, drugs help many schizophrenics control their symptoms. Ed Gein exemplifies a serial killer suffering from schizophrenia.
He displayed this behavior during attacks, when he would repeat "Im going to kill them" like he was having a conversation with an invisible person also called a manic episode. Other notable behavior is when he would cry, and make phone calls to victims. Im thinking the clenched teeth also played a role in these manic episodes. Probably uncontrollable reaction the level of his manic episodes, or peak.
Sadism
Sadists treat people and animals with cruelty. Some sadists obtain sexual gratification by inflicting pain. This is perhaps one of the most widely documented serial killer mental disorders. Almost all of these murderers suffered abuse as children and inflicted abuse on other creatures (frequently on animals).
I think speaks volumes to his crimes. We all know the dog he bludgeoned to death. We also know he achieved sexual gratification from his crimes. We do not know if it was his intention to receive that gratification or as a result. His childhood and past (prior to crimes) would also play a major role in this. But since we do not have a childhood history, we have to speculate.
Necrophilia/Necrophagia
Some serial killers seek to have sexual contact with corpses and/or to eat body parts. Chinese serial killer Wang Qiang illustrates this psychopathy. But lets look at the history of previous serial killers/rapists.
We know that at least one of his crimes (have to look it up and come back to place date) he did achieve sexual gratification after a victim and her husband were found. The evidence was found on a comforter covering the female victim.
Five Notorious Serial Killers With Mental Disorders
1. Ted Bundy (1946-1989)
2. Andrei Chikatilo (1936-1994)
3. John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994)
4. Jeffrey Dahmer (1960-1994)
5. Wang Qiang (1975-2005)
DISCLAIMER: Although they cause a disproportionate amount of pain and misery in the world, fortunately statistically only very,very few people afflicted with widespread mental disorders such as personality disorder or schizophrenia ever become killers, let alone repeat killers that become infamous for their atrocities. Medical experts and law enforcement specialists have established that fact. Remember not to rush to judgement when you hear of someone who is mentally afflicted. SOURCE
I remember reading an article about his wife's mother or his wife was a waitress (I will search for the article). She would describe him as being one way one day, and another way a different day. This person had claimed the EAR was in the midst of having his meds adjusted. This could also verify he was seeking treatment in his later years. This could also play a role in the downtime as his crimes started to taper off. If he was being treated, unfortunately this could play a role in a plea deal.
The most broadly recognized mental disorder associated with serial killing is Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). This is a cluster B personality in the DSM IV and is intimately related with psychopathy. Psychopathy is not a clinical diagnosis, but it is considered a developmental disorder by neuroscientists (Blair, 2006). Many individuals with APD are not psychopathic, but a number of them, especially the ones who exhibit traits such as limited empathy and grandiosity, do demonstrate psychopathy (Hare & Babiek, 2007). Psychopathic traits such as charm, manipulation, and intimidation have been recognized by the F.B.I. as being thoroughly connected to serial murder (see here (link is external) for more details), although it’s important to realize that not all psychopaths are serial killers.
A cool academic point to note about psychopathy is that we know the kinds of behaviors psychopaths reliably exhibit (such as superficial charm and a lack of empathy; for an inclusive list see Hare, 1990), we know that they typically have a low resting heart rate (Lorber, 2004), and we also know that that they are likely to have significant differences in their brain, such as reduced prefrontal gray matter (Raine et al., 2000), amygdalar abnormalities (Blair, 2003), and asymmetric hippocampi (Raine et al., 2004). One can only speculate how these brain differences could be implicated in psychopathic behavior, but it does mean that if we scanned the brain of a serial killer and measured their heart rate, these are the kind of differences we could expect to find.
Could there be any other mental condition implicated in serial killing, other than psychopathy or APD? We can only speculate, but a good place to look would be at the other cluster B personality disorders. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, and psychotic-like symptoms where those afflicted can suddenly become very paranoid or suspicious of others (Skodol et al., 2002). BPD has also been included by Simon Baron-Cohen as a disorder that results in zero degrees of empathy, a term he uses to describe conditions where the afflicted does not seem to have any empathy for others (Baron-Cohen, 2011). BPD is often comorbid with impulsive aggression, too (Skodol et al., 2002).
So how could BPD result in serial killing? We can only speculate, but suddenly becoming very paranoid or suspicious of others, having no empathy for anyone, and perhaps being subject to impulsive aggression, means that should an individual with BPD display with all of these traits at once, there could be an assault that results in the loss of life. If there is a situational or environmental trigger for these outbursts, the killing could become serial. This would be in contrast to psychopathic serial killers, where the killing is usually pre-meditated.
The brains of those with BPD are less understood. Impulsive aggression is characteristic of most cluster B disorders, and this seems to be related to low levels of serotonin (Skodol et al., 2002); this has resulted in attempts to treat BPD with SSRIs. Scientists have found altered levels of metabolism in the anterior cingulate cortex (De la Fuente et al., 1997) and reduced matter in the prefrontal cortex (Lyoo et al., 1998) in those with BPD.
There do not seem to be any neurological studies that have found anything special about Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), another cluster B disorder. But NPD is mentioned by Baron-Cohen as another disorder where the afflicted have no empathy for others. This automatically suggests prefrontal and limbic abnormalities, perhaps similar to APD and BPD, but unlike BPD, those afflicted with NPD do not suffer temporary psychotic-like symptoms. It must also be acknowledged, here, that psychopaths are very narcissistic, and so deciding on a diagnosis between APD and NPD is a very difficult task.
The last disorder I would like to mention as a candidate is schizophrenia. Schizophrenics, especially when experiencing psychotic symptoms (such as auditory and visual hallucinations), can become violent. Accounts of schizophrenia and serial murder are mixed. Castle & Hensley (2002) claim that there has never been a validated case of a schizophrenic serial killer, but Ronald Markman M.D., who served as a forensic psychiatrist, details the life of Richard Chase, who was also known as The Vampire of Sacramento (Markman & Bosco, 1989). Chase was diagnosed numerous times as a paranoid schizophrenic, before he committed a number of murders towards the end of the 1980s.
A common characteristic of schizophrenics, however, is to have jumbled and confused thoughts, which when considered in light of cold, calculated, and premeditated murders, it is harder to merit schizophrenia as a driving force behind serial murder. If our serial killer was a schizophrenic, however, we could expect to see enlarged lateral ventricles (brain tissue surrounding the ventricles has diminished), depleted myelin sheaths in the cerebral cortex, and abnormal clusters of neurons (Bear, Connors, & Paradiso, 2007).
SOURCE
I hoping he does not plea a insanity defense.
On top of this cocktail of mental health issues I explore, I would also like to entertain adding PTSD from his service in Vietnam. I would speculate this opened the doors to his mental health issues.
Some Common Serial Killer Disorders
Today, criminologists define "serial murder" as the homicide of three (or more) people during an extended period of time (at least a month) with breaks of time between the murders. Like "mass murderers", serial killers may kill large numbers. However, they commit homicide repeatedly.
A few mental health disorders occur with some frequency in serial killers. Yet individuals who commit serial killing do not always display all of these conditions:
Personality Disorders
Sometimes detailed as "anti-social personality disorder" or "borderline personality disorder," this condition occurs in varying degrees. For example, anti-social personality disorder inclines someone towards lying, stealing, hurting others intentionally and generally behaving in unkind, antisocial ways. Ted Bundy illustrated this condition.
We can apply the current statements of his neighbors of him having outbursts and keeping to himself most of the time. In his crimes, he would steal from his victims. Applied intentional pain to humans and dogs. Made threatening phone calls and more. And the former cops he worked with described him as a loner.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a serious mental illness, causes changes in the structure of the brain. Several subcategories exist. Schizophrenics may receive sensory impressions without a basis in objective reality. A growing number of experts believe schizophrenia involves a genetic component; inheriting certain genes may make it more likely an individual will display symptoms of schizophrenia. Today, drugs help many schizophrenics control their symptoms. Ed Gein exemplifies a serial killer suffering from schizophrenia.
He displayed this behavior during attacks, when he would repeat "Im going to kill them" like he was having a conversation with an invisible person also called a manic episode. Other notable behavior is when he would cry, and make phone calls to victims. Im thinking the clenched teeth also played a role in these manic episodes. Probably uncontrollable reaction the level of his manic episodes, or peak.
Sadism
Sadists treat people and animals with cruelty. Some sadists obtain sexual gratification by inflicting pain. This is perhaps one of the most widely documented serial killer mental disorders. Almost all of these murderers suffered abuse as children and inflicted abuse on other creatures (frequently on animals).
I think speaks volumes to his crimes. We all know the dog he bludgeoned to death. We also know he achieved sexual gratification from his crimes. We do not know if it was his intention to receive that gratification or as a result. His childhood and past (prior to crimes) would also play a major role in this. But since we do not have a childhood history, we have to speculate.
Necrophilia/Necrophagia
Some serial killers seek to have sexual contact with corpses and/or to eat body parts. Chinese serial killer Wang Qiang illustrates this psychopathy. But lets look at the history of previous serial killers/rapists.
We know that at least one of his crimes (have to look it up and come back to place date) he did achieve sexual gratification after a victim and her husband were found. The evidence was found on a comforter covering the female victim.
Five Notorious Serial Killers With Mental Disorders
1. Ted Bundy (1946-1989)
2. Andrei Chikatilo (1936-1994)
3. John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994)
4. Jeffrey Dahmer (1960-1994)
5. Wang Qiang (1975-2005)
DISCLAIMER: Although they cause a disproportionate amount of pain and misery in the world, fortunately statistically only very,very few people afflicted with widespread mental disorders such as personality disorder or schizophrenia ever become killers, let alone repeat killers that become infamous for their atrocities. Medical experts and law enforcement specialists have established that fact. Remember not to rush to judgement when you hear of someone who is mentally afflicted. SOURCE
I remember reading an article about his wife's mother or his wife was a waitress (I will search for the article). She would describe him as being one way one day, and another way a different day. This person had claimed the EAR was in the midst of having his meds adjusted. This could also verify he was seeking treatment in his later years. This could also play a role in the downtime as his crimes started to taper off. If he was being treated, unfortunately this could play a role in a plea deal.
The most broadly recognized mental disorder associated with serial killing is Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). This is a cluster B personality in the DSM IV and is intimately related with psychopathy. Psychopathy is not a clinical diagnosis, but it is considered a developmental disorder by neuroscientists (Blair, 2006). Many individuals with APD are not psychopathic, but a number of them, especially the ones who exhibit traits such as limited empathy and grandiosity, do demonstrate psychopathy (Hare & Babiek, 2007). Psychopathic traits such as charm, manipulation, and intimidation have been recognized by the F.B.I. as being thoroughly connected to serial murder (see here (link is external) for more details), although it’s important to realize that not all psychopaths are serial killers.
A cool academic point to note about psychopathy is that we know the kinds of behaviors psychopaths reliably exhibit (such as superficial charm and a lack of empathy; for an inclusive list see Hare, 1990), we know that they typically have a low resting heart rate (Lorber, 2004), and we also know that that they are likely to have significant differences in their brain, such as reduced prefrontal gray matter (Raine et al., 2000), amygdalar abnormalities (Blair, 2003), and asymmetric hippocampi (Raine et al., 2004). One can only speculate how these brain differences could be implicated in psychopathic behavior, but it does mean that if we scanned the brain of a serial killer and measured their heart rate, these are the kind of differences we could expect to find.
Could there be any other mental condition implicated in serial killing, other than psychopathy or APD? We can only speculate, but a good place to look would be at the other cluster B personality disorders. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, and psychotic-like symptoms where those afflicted can suddenly become very paranoid or suspicious of others (Skodol et al., 2002). BPD has also been included by Simon Baron-Cohen as a disorder that results in zero degrees of empathy, a term he uses to describe conditions where the afflicted does not seem to have any empathy for others (Baron-Cohen, 2011). BPD is often comorbid with impulsive aggression, too (Skodol et al., 2002).
So how could BPD result in serial killing? We can only speculate, but suddenly becoming very paranoid or suspicious of others, having no empathy for anyone, and perhaps being subject to impulsive aggression, means that should an individual with BPD display with all of these traits at once, there could be an assault that results in the loss of life. If there is a situational or environmental trigger for these outbursts, the killing could become serial. This would be in contrast to psychopathic serial killers, where the killing is usually pre-meditated.
The brains of those with BPD are less understood. Impulsive aggression is characteristic of most cluster B disorders, and this seems to be related to low levels of serotonin (Skodol et al., 2002); this has resulted in attempts to treat BPD with SSRIs. Scientists have found altered levels of metabolism in the anterior cingulate cortex (De la Fuente et al., 1997) and reduced matter in the prefrontal cortex (Lyoo et al., 1998) in those with BPD.
There do not seem to be any neurological studies that have found anything special about Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), another cluster B disorder. But NPD is mentioned by Baron-Cohen as another disorder where the afflicted have no empathy for others. This automatically suggests prefrontal and limbic abnormalities, perhaps similar to APD and BPD, but unlike BPD, those afflicted with NPD do not suffer temporary psychotic-like symptoms. It must also be acknowledged, here, that psychopaths are very narcissistic, and so deciding on a diagnosis between APD and NPD is a very difficult task.
The last disorder I would like to mention as a candidate is schizophrenia. Schizophrenics, especially when experiencing psychotic symptoms (such as auditory and visual hallucinations), can become violent. Accounts of schizophrenia and serial murder are mixed. Castle & Hensley (2002) claim that there has never been a validated case of a schizophrenic serial killer, but Ronald Markman M.D., who served as a forensic psychiatrist, details the life of Richard Chase, who was also known as The Vampire of Sacramento (Markman & Bosco, 1989). Chase was diagnosed numerous times as a paranoid schizophrenic, before he committed a number of murders towards the end of the 1980s.
A common characteristic of schizophrenics, however, is to have jumbled and confused thoughts, which when considered in light of cold, calculated, and premeditated murders, it is harder to merit schizophrenia as a driving force behind serial murder. If our serial killer was a schizophrenic, however, we could expect to see enlarged lateral ventricles (brain tissue surrounding the ventricles has diminished), depleted myelin sheaths in the cerebral cortex, and abnormal clusters of neurons (Bear, Connors, & Paradiso, 2007).
SOURCE