Food From The Gutter

[DRoy]

I could read Errata all day, no matter the topic. Great stuff Errata!

Cheers,
DRoy

[martin wilson]

I agree,a credit to Casebook.
The point about the deteriative nature of schizophrenia is extremely well made, in the case of Phiona Davis it's illustrative that violence occurred as an outburst as her inabilty to cope with her delusions increased.
If we see this type of breakdown in the ripper case is debatable in as much that there is a 'functional' element which is inconsistent with this model of schizophrenic behavior.
It could be argued symptoms presenting in November 1888 are also inconsistent with a commital in 1891.
I may actually have learned something,which of course is totally unacceptable,certainly I need to have a rethink.
All the best.

[Errata]

I agree,a credit to Casebook.
The point about the deteriative nature of schizophrenia is extremely well made, in the case of Phiona Davis it's illustrative that violence occurred as an outburst as her inabilty to cope with her delusions increased.
If we see this type of breakdown in the ripper case is debatable in as much that there is a 'functional' element which is inconsistent with this model of schizophrenic behavior.
It could be argued symptoms presenting in November 1888 are also inconsistent with a commital in 1891.
I may actually have learned something,which of course is totally unacceptable,certainly I need to have a rethink.
All the best.

Every case is different, and every person deals with these kinds of adversities differently, but... there are trends. Schizophrenia tends to be a lot like Alzheimers in it's timing. Onset to non functionality is relatively slow. Assuming the schizophrenic ever becomes non functional, because some are able to maintain a degree of independence. But there is medication available today that was not available then, and we think that those meds stall the degenerative process for awhile.

A "typical" Schizophrenic experiences onset somewhere between 18 and 35. Usually it becomes noticeable in the late 20s. And a "typical" Schizophrenic can keep it together and remain independent and functional for about ten years. After that point, the physiological brain changes tend to become assertive. Schizophrenics who kill (and there are very few of those), and kill on purpose do not tend to do it in the beginning of the disease. Jared Loughner was very young to have killed because of a delusion, but he also had early onset. His symptoms were very noticeable in his late teens early 20s. So he had been noticeably delusional for about 6 years before acting on it. Richard Chase had childhood onset, and was dangerous as a teenager. Herbert Mullin also had relatively early onset, was symptomatic for three years before hospitalization, and it was another three years before he started killing.

Phiona Davis evidently had a much harder fall, which certain things can accelerate but just happens sometimes. Although Capgras Delusion (which is what made her kill) just about always ends in violence. Though not necessarily murder. People live with Capgras for awhile staying quiet, but when they slap their husband for getting overly familiar because they think their husband is some alien in disguise, things tend to come out into the light.

If Jack the Ripper was schizophrenic, the first presentation of symptoms would not be murder. It might get there relatively quickly, but an unmedicated schizophrenic typically has some time before it gets to that point. Five years, maybe more. So for crimes in 1888, you would more or less be looking for a guy whose life started to fall apart in 1883 ish. But schizophrenics who become serial killers don't stop. They go until they are caught. They also tend to kill more frequently, but that's not set in stone. Because schizophrenia is implacably degenerative, there is no chance that the man suffering from delusions that made him kill suddenly can manage those needs. Meaning he has completely lost control. And it seems hard to think that someone who has at least occasional contact with family and friends doesn't get locked up quite a bit sooner than three years out.

Anytime you try to factor schizophrenic delusion into an equation, you have to allow for the fact that the behavior you are looking at makes perfect sense in the context of that delusion. Which is why they rarely bother to deny doing something. Paranoid schizophrenics lie as a self preservation method, but otherwise organized and disorganized just tend not to. Their reality is the reality. They don't have a concept that what is true for them may not be true for others. It's a skill that can be learned, but it's a skill that rarely develops on it's own. So If a guy thinks god is telling him to bring the uteruses of prostitutes to him as sacrifice, that's the reality. It's true for him, it's true for you, it's true for me. Now god may tell him to keep it a secret, and he will, but what he is experiencing is truth. He is saving us all from eternal damnation, or he feels sorry that the rest of us cannot be saved the way he is, or he may even realise that people will likely not understand what he is doing, but he knows that his reasons are unequivocal and right. If we don't agree with him, we are wrong. He doesn't want to be caught, he wants to continue pleasing god (or insert delusion here). But there is no shame, no guilt, the best you get is sadness that things have to be this way. And it's odd to have a conversation with someone whose reality differs from yours in a fundamental way. Not dissimilar to talking to people who truly believe that if you don't pray the way they do, you are destined for eternal damnation. You cannot argue with someone who has a belief that their very existence depends on. So think about what that means in the other parts of that guys life. The delusion stands, whether they are killing or not. How does that affect the way they talk to people, the way they view law enforcement, even the way they walk or talk.

And all of it depends on what the delusion is. If god tells you to do something, that gives you power. If the devil is making you do it or he will kill your family, that gives you shame. If the uteruses are mocking you, so you cut them out to shut them up, you get a little smug. Kosminksi clearly showed signs of desperation. He thought he was dying. His attitude reflects his delusion. And that's true for all schizophrenics, whether or not they are violent. So you look for change. Who suddenly has confidence who never had it? Who won't meet peoples eyes anymore? And it's a tough thing for people who lived 120 ears ago, but that's the clue you are looking for. Whose reality changed?

[martin wilson]

I recommend the above post be copied to dissertations for it's insight and understanding of schizophrenia and mental illness generally.
It will be an excellent entry level overview for when the issue of Kosminski's mental state comes around again.