Saturday, April 28, 2012

Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay - NYTimes.com

Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay - NYTimes.com
Gray Matter

Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay

WHY are political and religious figures who campaign against gay rights so often implicated in sexual encounters with same-sex partners?
ChloƩ Poizat
In recent years, Ted Haggard, an evangelical leader who preached that homosexuality was a sin, resigned after a scandal involving a former male prostitute; Larry Craig, a United States senator who opposed including sexual orientation in hate-crime legislation, was arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct in a men’s bathroom; and Glenn Murphy Jr., a leader of the Young Republican National Convention and an opponent of same-sex marriage, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after being accused of sexually assaulting another man.
One theory is that homosexual urges, when repressed out of shame or fear, can be expressed as homophobia. Freud famously called this process a “reaction formation” — the angry battle against the outward symbol of feelings that are inwardly being stifled. Even Mr. Haggard seemed to endorse this idea when, apologizing after his scandal for his anti-gay rhetoric, he said, “I think I was partially so vehement because of my own war.”
It’s a compelling theory — and now there is scientific reason to believe it. In this month’s issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, we and our fellow researchers provide empirical evidence that homophobia can result, at least in part, from the suppression of same-sex desire.
Our paper describes six studies conducted in the United States and Germany involving 784 university students. Participants rated their sexual orientation on a 10-point scale, ranging from gay to straight. Then they took a computer-administered test designed to measure their implicit sexual orientation. In the test, the participants were shown images and words indicative of hetero- and homosexuality (pictures of same-sex and straight couples, words like “homosexual” and “gay”) and were asked to sort them into the appropriate category, gay or straight, as quickly as possible. The computer measured their reaction times.
The twist was that before each word and image appeared, the word “me” or “other” was flashed on the screen for 35 milliseconds — long enough for participants to subliminally process the word but short enough that they could not consciously see it. The theory here, known as semantic association, is that when “me” precedes words or images that reflect your sexual orientation (for example, heterosexual images for a straight person), you will sort these images into the correct category faster than when “me” precedes words or images that are incongruent with your sexual orientation (for example, homosexual images for a straight person). This technique, adapted from similar tests used to assess attitudes like subconscious racial bias, reliably distinguishes between self-identified straight individuals and those who self-identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual.
Using this methodology we identified a subgroup of participants who, despite self-identifying as highly straight, indicated some level of same-sex attraction (that is, they associated “me” with gay-related words and pictures faster than they associated “me” with straight-related words and pictures). Over 20 percent of self-described highly straight individuals showed this discrepancy.
Notably, these “discrepant” individuals were also significantly more likely than other participants to favor anti-gay policies; to be willing to assign significantly harsher punishments to perpetrators of petty crimes if they were presumed to be homosexual; and to express greater implicit hostility toward gay subjects (also measured with the help of subliminal priming). Thus our research suggests that some who oppose homosexuality do tacitly harbor same-sex attraction.
What leads to this repression? We found that participants who reported having supportive and accepting parents were more in touch with their implicit sexual orientation and less susceptible to homophobia. Individuals whose sexual identity was at odds with their implicit sexual attraction were much more frequently raised by parents perceived to be controlling, less accepting and more prejudiced against homosexuals.
It’s important to stress the obvious: Not all those who campaign against gay men and lesbians secretly feel same-sex attractions. But at least some who oppose homosexuality are likely to be individuals struggling against parts of themselves, having themselves been victims of oppression and lack of acceptance. The costs are great, not only for the targets of anti-gay efforts but also often for the perpetrators. We would do well to remember that all involved deserve our compassion.

Richard M. Ryan is a professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at the University of Rochester. William S. Ryan is a doctoral student in psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on April 29, 2012, on page SR12 of the National edition with the headline: Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay.

Citation

Database: PsycARTICLES
[ Journal Article ]
Parental autonomy support and discrepancies between implicit and explicit sexual identities: Dynamics of self-acceptance and defense.
Weinstein, Netta; Ryan, William S.; DeHaan, Cody R.; Przybylski, Andrew K.; Legate, Nicole; Ryan, Richard M.

Abstract

  1. When individuals grow up with autonomy-thwarting parents, they may be prevented from exploring internally endorsed values and identities and as a result shut out aspects of the self perceived to be unacceptable. Given the stigmatization of homosexuality, individuals perceiving low autonomy support from parents may be especially motivated to conceal same-sex sexual attraction, leading to defensive processes such as reaction formation. Four studies tested a model wherein perceived parental autonomy support is associated with lower discrepancies between self-reported sexual orientation and implicit sexual orientation (assessed with a reaction time task). These indices interacted to predict anti-gay responding indicative of reaction formation. Studies 2–4 showed that an implicit/explicit discrepancy was particularly pronounced in participants who experienced their fathers as both low in autonomy support and homophobic, though results were inconsistent for mothers. Findings of Study 3 suggested contingent self-esteem as a link between parenting styles and discrepancies in sexual orientation measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Links






Homophobia and psychotic crimes of violence

by Denis Murphy
Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology (2006)


*

Friday, April 27, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik - Video The Knights Templar 2083.flv - YouTube

Anders Behring Breivik - Video The Knights Templar 2083.flv - YouTube


Published on Apr 26, 2012 by
1. The Rise of Cultural Marxism
2. Islamic Colonization
3. Hope
4. New Beginning

This is a link where you can read Anders Behring Breivik book about :

1. The rise of cultural Marxism/multiculturalism in Western Europe
2. Why the Islamic colonization and Islamisation of Western Europe began
3. The current state of the Western European Resistance Movements (anti-Marxist/anti-Jihad
movements)
4. Solutions for Western Europe and how we, the resistance, should move forward in the
coming decades
5. + Covering all, highly relevant topics including solutions and strategies for all of the 8
different political fronts

Link: http://unitednations.ispnw.org/archives/breivik-manifesto-2011.pdf

Be sure to read it ;)

European lawmakers dismayed at CIA prison probes

Google Reader - Forensic Psychiatry News

European lawmakers dismayed at CIA prison probes
Boston.com
VILNIUS, Lithuania—European lawmakers on Friday criticized two probes by Lithuanian authorities into alleged CIA prisons, describing them as contradictory and incomplete. The European Parliament members said that they would attempt to rekindle ...
Lawmakers visit alleged CIA prison in LithuaniaFox News
European lawmakers dismayed at Lithuania's contradictory probes into alleged ...Washington Post

all 78 news articles »

With Prison Ministry, Colson Linked Religion and Reform - New York Times

Google Reader - Forensic Psychiatry News

via prisons - Google News on 4/27/12

Irish Times

With Prison Ministry, Colson Linked Religion and Reform
New York Times
“Since the 1960s, prison reform has been seen as a leftist cause,” Robert Perkinson, a historian and the author of “Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire,” said this week. “But it used to be a Christian cause, and Colson played a big role in ...
Mattingly: Why Colson spent Easter in prisonsReporterNews.com
Chuck Colson: A Redemption StoryHuffington Post
Guest Column / Wayne Hughes JrMalibu Times
Wall Street Journal -Washington Post (blog) -World Magazine
all 101 news articles »
 
 

Kurdish Kids and Turkey's Shameful Prisons | Human Rights Now - Amnesty International USA Blog

Kurdish Kids and Turkey's Shameful Prisons | Human Rights Now - Amnesty International USA Blog

Kurdish Kids and Turkey’s Shameful Prisons

Children's Rights, Europe, Prisoners and People at Risk | Posted by: , April 27, 2012 at 9:08 AM
turkish police arrest kurdish boy
Turkish police arrest a Kurdish boy during a demonsration in main Kurdish city Diyarbakir on December 31, 2011 as they protest aginst a Turkish air raid.
In 2010 the Turkish Parliament, reacting to criticism by Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, modified their Anti-Terrorism Laws to end the prosecution of children in adult courts solely for taking part in demonstrations. Despite this change, children, and particularly Kurdish children, continued to be arrested, prosecuted, jailed and abused under other provisions in the Turkish Anti-Terrorism laws.
What has taken place at Pozanti prison outside of Adana, Turkey, reveals just how badly children are being abused and mistreated under these laws. According to a report by members of the European Parliament, children in the prison were deprived of food and medical treatment, beaten while naked with iron bars by prison staff, and sexually abused by adult prisoners. As H.D. a 15-year-old, reported:

“Some of our friends were molested many times. They beat us and forced us to undress. What we have been through cannot be put into words.”
The abuses were reported to the Ministry of Justice, but only seven months later, after the abuses were publicized by a Kurdish news agency and on twitter, did the Justice Minister take action. His solution: move the children from Pozanti to another overcrowded children’s prison 500 kilometers away from their families and put them in single, camera-monitored cells. As for the three Kurdish reporters who published the story about the abuses, they were arrested a few days ago and charged with being members of a terrorist organization.
April 23 was Children’s Day in Turkey. The Turkish NGO Followers of Justice for Children (ƇİAT) organized a forum in honor of the occasion. At it, a child victim of Turkey’s Anti-Terrorism Laws “who doesn’t prefer to tell his name speaks: ‘We didn’t kill anybody, we didn’t damage to property of anyone. Why are we kept in prison while people selling drugs are walking outside? Nothing happens to the drug-dealers. However, we are put in prison. We are beaten. We do not want to be put in prison any more.’”
When the reporter asked why “he didn’t prefer to tell his name, he reminded [the reporter of] the child who was subjected to 40 years of penalty as he talked to press after he was released from Pozantı Prison.”
If you are interested in the issue of Human Rights in Turkey, consider joining us on our Turkey Regional Action Network on Facebook.
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Experts: Norway mass killer Anders Behring Breivik likely not insane despite committing deadly bomb-and-shooting rampage - CBS News

Experts: Norway mass killer Anders Behring Breivik likely not insane despite committing deadly bomb-and-shooting rampage - CBS News


April 27, 2012 8:15 AM

Experts: Norway mass killer Anders Behring Breivik likely not insane despite committing deadly bomb-and-shooting rampage



Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, arrives at an Oslo courtroom April 27, 2012. (AFP/Getty Images)

(AP) LONDON - Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is insisting in court that attempts to label him as insane are misplaced — and some psychiatrists agree that simply committing such monstrous crimes does not mean a person is mentally ill.

The far-right, anti-Islam Breivik has already confessed to committing Norway's worst mass murder in a bomb-and-shooting rampage that killed 77 people last July. Whether or not Breivik is sane is at the crux of his ongoing trial and will determine how he is sentenced.

"Everyone's first assumption is that Breivik must be insane because he's done such terrible things," said Dr. Simon Wessely, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. "But it doesn't automatically follow that he must be mad just because what he has done is inexplicable."

Special Section: Massacre in Norway
Norwegians heckle mass killer with children's song
Breivik listens as witnesses describe "war zone"

In a commentary published Friday in the British medical journal Lancet, Wessely writes that explanation is too simplistic.

For the 33-year-old Norwegian to be schizophrenic — as some psychiatrists have suggested — his actions would have to be the result of delusions, or based on beliefs not shared by others.

"As ghastly as his views are, there are other people in society who believe countries are being destroyed by multiculturalism and Islam," Wessely said.

Breivik's extraordinarily well-organized and methodical massacre also undermines the idea that he was suffering from a serious mental illness.

"It doesn't tally with the kinds of disorganized crimes usually committed by people with mental health problems," Wessely said.

One Norwegian psychiatric report found Breivik to be insane, while a second concluded that he was sane. A panel of judges is hearing weeks of testimony to decide which is correct.

Breivik himself has slammed reports concluding that he is insane, describing them as based on "evil fabrications." He said earlier this week the worst thing that could happen would be for officials to declare he has a mental illness, since that would "delegitimize" everything he stands for.

Breivik claims the attacks were "necessary" and that the victims — many of whom had some ties to the ruling Labor Party — had betrayed Norway by embracing immigration.

Breivik claims to belong to an anti-Muslim militant group inspired by medieval crusaders and working with two other cells in Norway. Investigators have said they don't believe the group exists, and prosecutor Seven Holder noted that the second psychiatric report described it as a "fantasy."

Some experts said the publicly known information about Breivik and his crimes suggest he has a personality disorder, like psychopathy and narcissism. That may also be apparent in Breivik's complete lack of empathy for his victims or his tendency to remain emotionless in court.

"The way he perceives the world is probably within the bounds of normality," said Dr. Paul Keedwell, a psychiatrist at Cardiff University, who has not examined him and was not linked to the Lancet commentary.

"But because of the personality disorder, he may be overwhelmed by a sense of strong anger and indignation when he believes people are not listening to his point of view," he said.

Keedwell said it was difficult to know the cause of Breivik's condition without knowing more about his personal history. He hypothesized the crimes could have been the result of a series of bad decisions after Breivik had his mind "warped" by far-right propaganda.

"The question society has to decide is what part mental illness played and at what point he will be held accountable for his vile actions."

If found guilty and sane, Breivik will face 21 years in prison, though he could be held longer if deemed a danger to society. If declared insane, he would be committed to mandatory psychiatric care.
© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Anders Breivik, the public, and psychiatry : The Lancet

Anders Breivik, the public, and psychiatry : The Lancet

The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9826, Pages 1563 - 1564, 28 April 2012
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60655-2Cite or Link Using DOI

Anders Breivik, the public, and psychiatry

Simon Wessely aEmail Address
On July 22, 2011, Anders Breivik detonated a car bomb outside the office of the Norwegian Prime Minister. The explosion killed eight people, and inflicted grievous damage on the infrastructure of the Norwegian Government. If he had done nothing else, that was already the worst act of terrorism in the history of Scandinavia. But as we know he did not stop there. Dressed in a police uniform he drove to UtĆøya, where he murdered a further 69 people, mainly teenagers attending a summer camp organised by Norway's Labour party's youth league.
In September, 2011, I was asked by the Norwegian Government to join an International Advisory Council tasked with reviewing the emergency response, both medical and psychosocial, to the dreadful events of July 22. Before coming to our conclusions, which were that the “Norwegian Health Service had responded very well to the greatest challenge it had ever faced”,1 we were briefed by many of those intimately involved in the events. We were left in no doubt that the crimes had shaken Norwegian society to the core. Nevertheless, much of the world came to admire the way in which the nation came together to reaffirm its commitment to a tolerant liberal society.2 But people remained perplexed about Breivik himself. What were his motives, and how should justice be done?
When people struggle to comprehend what lies behind the mass murder of adolescents gathered for a weekend of discussions and campfires, the simplest response is that the killer “must be mad”. The inexplicable can only be explained as an act of insanity, which by definition cannot be rationally explained. The act was so monstrous, the consequences so grievous, that the perpetrator had to be insane. Yet whilst I was in Oslo, the country was preparing to learn the results of Breivik's psychiatric examinations and all those who we spoke to were insistent that he should not be regarded as mad. And when, to everyone's surprise including my own, the psychiatrists did indeed state that Breivik was suffering from schizophrenia,3 there was an outcry.4 Such reactions are common. All the psychiatrists who interviewed Peter Sutcliffe, the so-called Yorkshire Ripper in the UK, agreed that he had schizophrenia. Normally this would lead to a finding of diminished responsibility and admission to a secure hospital facility. But despite defence and prosecution being in agreement the Judge insisted that the matter had to be put to a jury, because the general public would feel that otherwise Sutcliffe had escaped punishment.5 In practice it made little difference. Sutcliffe was convicted of murder and sent to prison, but soon transferred to Broadmoor Secure Hospital, where he will end his days. Whether he was being punished in prison, or treated in hospital, there was no doubt that he would never be released, since no Home Secretary would agree to that.
But Norway should be different. Norway is a country with one of the best developed mental health systems in the world.6 It prides itself on its tolerant attitude towards mental disorders. When former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik took leave of absence to be treated for depression in 1998 his career did not come to a halt.7 Offenders diagnosed with mental illness are dealt with within the health, not the criminal justice, system. And if the person then recovered, they would be released from hospital on the authority of the psychiatrists, without the possibility of political interference.8 But tolerance can only go so far, and the majority of the Norwegian public saw a label of schizophrenia as allowing Breivik to avoid having to answer to his crimes, and worse, that a psychiatric diagnosis raised the spectre that he could be free again.9
In fact that was always improbable. Many Norwegians themselves were confused about the checks and balances within their own judicial system. A prosecutor can, although they rarely do, challenge the psychiatrist's decision and the matter be returned to Court. And even if the offender has recovered, the power exists to transfer him to prison indefinitely if judged a continuing threat to society.8 Although at the time of writing the Court's verdict remains unknown, as Breivik gives his chilling testimony in Court the chances that he receives a psychiatric disposal rather than a criminal conviction seem to be receding.
The Breivik case highlights two popular misconceptions. First, that outrageous crimes must mean mental illness. Diagnoses in psychiatry are made on the basis of symptoms and motivations, rather than outcomes. For schizophrenia to explain Breivik's actions, they would have to be the result of delusions. Delusions are beliefs that are not only wrong, in the sense of not corresponding to the world as we know it, but they must also not be shared with others of the same cultural background. A psychiatric classic established that individuals with schizophrenia can identify others as mad, even when they share the same delusions.10
Breivik's views on the evils of multiculturalism, immigration, and the threat of Islam mixed in with nonsense about the Knights Templar and so on, are absurd, reprehensible, and abhorrent, but he is not alone. One fears that in the backwoods of Montana or among those who subscribe to what is loosely called “anti Jihadism” are other people like him, who may also have devoted a summer to playing World of Warcraft and believe that Dan Brown writes history. The meticulous way in which he planned his attacks does not speak to the disorganisation of schizophrenia. My colleagues in forensic psychiatry struggle to think of anyone who has had the foresight to bring along a sign stating “sewer cleaning in progress” to avoid drawing attention to the smell of sulphur from the homemade explosives in the back of his vehicle. If a psychiatric parallel is needed, the closest might be the classic case of German school teacher Ernst Wagner, who murdered 15 people in a small village, and was diagnosed with paranoia, or delusional disorder as it is now known.11
The second misconception is that the purpose of psychiatry is to “get people off”. In the UK, however, if you commit murder and want to spend as little time in detention as you can, putting forward a mental illness defence may mean that you will spend more—not fewer—years behind bars.12 And the forensic psychiatry system is not a soft or popular option either. Most offenders have the same prejudices towards mental illness as the general population, and would rather take their chances in prison than be what they call “nutted off”. Similarly, it is a commonplace observation among British forensic psychiatrists that those who have experienced both prison and hospital often prefer the former because “at least they don't try to do your head in”. The widespread anger when it seemed that Breivik was going to be sent to hospital rather than prison reminds us that liberal attitudes to mental illness are still often only skin deep.
I declare that I have no conflicts of interest.
Click to toggle image size
Full-size image (16K) Corbis
I declare that I have no conflicts of interest.

References

1 International Advisory Council on the Health Sector Response to the Terrorist Attacks of June 22, 2011. Lessons for better preparedness. Health effort after the acts of terror July 22, 2011 [in Norwegian]. http://www.helsedirektoratet.no/publikasjoner/lering-for-bedre-beredskap-/Sider/default.aspx. (accessed April 23, 2012).
2 Orange R. “Answer hatred with love”: how Norway tried to cope with the horror of Anders Breivik. The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/15/anders-breivik-norway-copes-horror. (accessed April 23, 2012).
3 Rettspsykiatrisk erklaering Breivik, Anders f. 130279 [in Norwegian]. http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/TV2/archive/00927/Breivik_rapport_927719a.pdf. (accessed April 23, 2012).
4 Anda LG. Norwegian disbelief at Breivik's insanity. Nov 29, 2011. BBC News World. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15954370. (accessed April 23, 2012).
5 Jenkins P. Serial murder in England 1940—1985. J Crim Justice 1988; 16: 1-15. PubMed
6 Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services. Mental health services in Norway. Prevention—treatment—care. http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/kilde/hod/red/2005/0011/ddd/pdfv/233840-mentalhealthweb.pdf. (accessed April 23, 2012).
7 Bondevik K. Depression and recovery. Interview with Kjell Magne Bondevik by Sarah Mitchell. J Ment Health 2010; 19: 369-372. PubMed
8 GrĆøndahl P. Scandinavian forensic psychiatric practices : an overview and evaluation. Nord J Psychiatry 2005; 59: 92-102. CrossRef | PubMed

Nord J Psychiatry. 2005;59(2):92-102.

Scandinavian forensic psychiatric practices--an overview and evaluation.

Source

Centre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. pagron@c2i.net

Abstract

The Scandinavian countries share a social-democratic and humanistic view in that mentally disturbed offenders should not be punished or sentenced to prison if they are considered unaccountable for their actions. The countries differ, however, for example regarding referrals for medico-legal examinations. This article gives: 1) an overview of the Scandinavian forensic psychiatric practices regarding organization, legislation, resources and use of methods, and 2) a study of forensic psychiatric assessment as they are done in the Scandinavian countries. From each country 20 forensic psychiatric court reports concerning male murderers were examined. Each report was scored in five sections: characteristics of the defendant, setting of the observation, acting professions, methods used and premises for the experts' conclusions. Data were summarized with descriptive measures. Danish and Swedish experts had a more frequent use of tests and instruments than Norwegian experts. Swedish experts used the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), and they diagnosed the observant according to DSM-IV. The Scandinavian experts rarely referred to the tests they had applied nor did they refer to any kind of theory or literature as a basis for their conclusion. Only a few reports expressed doubt concerning the validity of the conclusion. Stating all the premises of the forensic psychiatric examination might improve the quality of the reports by doing them more explicit and verifiable. More use of standardized actuarial-based methods and more attention to knowledge about clinical judgmental processes is recommended.
PMID:
16195105
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
9 Korsvold K. The Norwegian system can produce many exonerations.Aftenposten April 13, 2012 [in Norwegian]. http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/22juli/—Det-norske-systemet-kan-gi-mange-feilaktige-frifinnelser-6803402.html. (accessed April 23, 2012).
10 Rokeach M. The three christs of Ypsilanti. New York: Knopf, 1964.
11 Gaupp R. Die wissenschaftliche Bedeutung des “Falles Wagner”. Munchener Medizinische Wochenschrift 1914; 61: 633-637. Translated by Marshall H.. In: Hirsch S, Shepherd M, eds. Themes and variations in European psychiatry: an anthology. Bristol: John Wright, 1974. PubMed
12 Grounds A. The transfer of sentenced prisoners to hospital 1960—83: a study in one special hospital. Br J Criminol 1991; 31: 54-71. PubMed
a Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London Weston Education Centre, London SE5 9RS, UK

Simon Wessely - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Simon Wessely - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Simon Wessely
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Simon Wessely (born Sheffield, 1956) is a British psychiatrist. He is professor of epidemiological and liaison psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and Head of its department of psychological medicine, Vice Dean for Academic Psychiatry, Teaching and Training at the Institute of Psychiatry, as well as Director of the King's Centre for Military Health Research. He is also honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at King's College Hospital and Maudsley Hospital, as well as Civilian Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry to the British Army.[1]

BBC News - Breivik case 'shows insanity misconceptions'

BBC News - Breivik case 'shows insanity misconceptions'



Breivik case 'shows insanity misconceptions'


Anders Behring Breivik, in court in Oslo, 25 April Breivik has argued he should either be put to death or acquitted


Horrific crimes, such as the Anders Breivik case, illustrate the misconceptions the public has about mental illness, a leading expert says.

Professor Simon Wessely, of King's College London, said the simplest responses to mass killings were that the perpetrators "must be mad".

But he said the way Breivik carried out the killings suggested otherwise.

He said the idea a psychiatric diagnosis could help people avoid punishment was wrong too.

Writing in the Lancet medical journal, Professor Wessely said putting forward a mental illness defence in the UK could lead a person to spending more time behind bars than fewer.

"The forensic psychiatry system is not a soft or popular option," he added.
'Meticulous way'
The psychiatrist also said the Breivik case highlighted another misconception - that outrageous crimes must mean mental illness.

"For schizophrenia to explain Breivik's actions, they would have to be the result of delusions."

But he added: "The meticulous way in which he planned his attacks does not speak to the disorganisation of schizophrenia."

Breivik is currently on trial in Norway.

The 33-year-old admits to killing 77 people in Oslo and on Utoeya island last July but denies criminal responsibility.

Two reports have been compiled on his mental state and have come to opposing views on his sanity.

The court's ruling on this will determine whether Breivik is sent to jail or into psychiatric care.

Breivik has argued he is not insane and should either be put to death or acquitted.

Experts: Mass killer Breivik likely not insane | BlueRidgeNow.com

Experts: Mass killer Breivik likely not insane | BlueRidgeNow.com

Experts: Mass killer Breivik likely not insane

Published: Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 7:06 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 7:06 p.m.
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is insisting in court that attempts to label him as insane are misplaced - and some psychiatrists agree that simply committing such monstrous crimes does not mean a person is mentally ill.
Enlarge
Mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, right, stands in the courtroom in Oslo, Norway Thursday April 26, 2012. Breivik has slammed a psychiatric report that declared him insane, insisting it was based on "evil fabrications" meant to portray him as irrational and unintelligent. (AP Photo/Hakon Mosvold Larsen/NTB Scanpix, Pool)
The far-right, anti-Islam Breivik has already confessed to committing Norway's worst mass murder in a bomb-and-shooting rampage that killed 77 people last July. Whether or not Breivik is sane is at the crux of his ongoing trial and will determine how he is sentenced.
"Everyone's first assumption is that Breivik must be insane because he's done such terrible things," said Dr. Simon Wessely, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London. "But it doesn't automatically follow that he must be mad just because what he has done is inexplicable."
In a commentary published Friday in the British medical journal Lancet, Wessely writes that explanation is too simplistic.
For the 33-year-old Norwegian to be schizophrenic - as some psychiatrists have suggested - his actions would have to be the result of delusions, or based on beliefs not shared by others.
"As ghastly as his views are, there are other people in society who believe countries are being destroyed by multiculturalism and Islam," Wessely said.
Breivik's extraordinarily well-organized and methodical massacre also undermines the idea that he was suffering from a serious mental illness.
"It doesn't tally with the kinds of disorganized crimes usually committed by people with mental health problems," Wessely said.
One Norwegian psychiatric report found Breivik to be insane, while a second concluded that he was sane. A panel of judges is hearing weeks of testimony to decide which is correct.
Breivik himself has slammed reports concluding that he is insane, describing them as based on "evil fabrications." He said earlier this week the worst thing that could happen would be for officials to declare he has a mental illness, since that would "delegitimize" everything he stands for.
Breivik claims the attacks were "necessary" and that the victims - many of whom had some ties to the ruling Labor Party - had betrayed Norway by embracing immigration.
Breivik claims to belong to an anti-Muslim militant group inspired by medieval crusaders and working with two other cells in Norway. Investigators have said they don't believe the group exists, and prosecutor Seven Holder noted that the second psychiatric report described it as a "fantasy."
Some experts said the publicly known information about Breivik and his crimes suggest he has a personality disorder, like psychopathy and narcissism. That may also be apparent in Breivik's complete lack of empathy for his victims or his tendency to remain emotionless in court.
"The way he perceives the world is probably within the bounds of normality," said Dr. Paul Keedwell, a psychiatrist at Cardiff University, who has not examined him and was not linked to the Lancet commentary.
"But because of the personality disorder, he may be overwhelmed by a sense of strong anger and indignation when he believes people are not listening to his point of view," he said.
Keedwell said it was difficult to know the cause of Breivik's condition without knowing more about his personal history. He hypothesized the crimes could have been the result of a series of bad decisions after Breivik had his mind "warped" by far-right propaganda.
"The question society has to decide is what part mental illness played and at what point he will be held accountable for his vile actions."
If found guilty and sane, Breivik will face 21 years in prison, though he could be held longer if deemed a danger to society. If declared insane, he would be committed to mandatory psychiatric care.
---
Online:

Most Evil - Delusional Thinking - YouTube

Most Evil - Delusional Thinking - YouTube


Uploaded by on Oct 13, 2008
What drives a person to think in such a delusional manner? Dr. Stone will try to answer this question by interviewing convicted murderer Diana Dial.