Case Study: Hannibal Lecter Essay, Research Paper

Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Dr. Lecter is a 56-year-old man who has never before been married. He was ordered by the New York Supreme Court to seek counseling following his conviction for murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. According to police records, Dr. Lecter has killed nine people of whom the last six were killed in a brief spree of violence and whimsy. Each of his victims had been partially disfigured and Dr. Lecter had admitted under oath to enjoying devouring pieces of the victims.

When he was six years old, he witnessed both his parents and younger sister Mischa murdered and dismembered in their countryside home in England. The perpetrator was never apprehended or brought to justice. He was subsequently placed in a state run orphanage for the next ten years. On three separate occasions, he attempted to run away, however each time he tried he was never gone for more than a day before being caught by police for attempting to steal food or clothes from the local market. Every day he spent in the orphanage made him more and more frustrated. He was very close to his sister and missed her greatly. Almost daily, he would sit alone in his room and talk to his dead sister, often times throughout the night. According to Dr. Lecter, Mischa would tell him what to do each day and he would do it. The workers at the orphanage showed little love or compassion for Dr. Lecter even though they were well aware of the traumatic event he witnessed. Due to financial cutbacks, the orphanage was unable to provide the psychiatric care that the state had mandated for Dr. Lecter.

When Dr. Lecter reached the age of 16, he was released from the orphanage and put of the street. He went to stay with an Aunt and enrolled in school. He did extremely well in school despite the fact that none of the other children would socialize with him. Overall life with his Aunt was better than the orphanage, but still he grieved for his sister. When he turned 20, his Aunt mysteriously disappeared, so he was alone again. He moved to the United States and enrolled in the psychiatric department at Harvard University. He earned his doctorate degree by the time he was twenty-seven. He then moved to New York and assumed a position at a state run mental institution providing counseling and assistance to the patients.

Dr. Lecter was soft-spoken, well mannered and very relaxed when he came to see me. He was clean-shaven and very cordial. He was restrained by handcuffs and ankle-cuffs around his wrists and ankles. When questioned about his childhood, he spoke only of Mischa, “Oh how I love her so. You know she talks to me every day. How could God abandon her?” When asked if he believed in God, he said, “Why would I believe in a God who does not answer my prayers.” When asked why he kills people, he said, “For I am royalty, a champion not simply without, but especially without God or law.” When asked if he has thoughts of suicide, he said, “Why would I want to kill myself.”

After only 30 minutes of therapy with Dr. Lecter, I felt extremely fatigued. I was emotionally and physically drained. My muscles were tense and my jaw was sore from biting down so hard. The manner in which he spoke made me nervous. I was uncomfortable in my own office.

DIAGNOSIS

AXIS I

Paranoid Schizophrenia

AXIS II

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder

ANIX III

Diagnosis Deferred

AXIS IV

Incarcerated for life.

No social network.

AXIS V

Global Assessment of Functioning = 10

JUSTIFICATION OF DIAGNOSIS

Dr. Lecter is capable of functioning cognitively and has an appropriate affect. He does suffer from delusions of royalty and compares himself to God. He suffers from auditory hallucinations almost daily when he hears his sister speak to him. All of his delusions and hallucinations center on the death of his sister. He is not suicidal. Until his arrest he was fully employed as a Doctor of psychiatry.

Dr. Lecter has no social interactions. He has never been married and continued to live alone. He continually violates and shows disregard for the rights of others through aggressive behavior. He has murdered nine people and shows no remorse. Persistent danger to severely hurting others. He enjoys eating his victims. Prior to the age of 15, he was apprehended for stealing food and clothes.

Global assessment is based on the primarily fact that he is an extreme danger to hurting others. He is currently incarcerated for life. He enjoys hurting others. He does not have suicidal thoughts and does maintain appropriate personal hygiene, as well as a full time job.