Evil Deeds

Does spirituality support mental health, as some recent studies suggest? Or does it cause, exacerbate or mask dangerous mental disorders? Or might both be true? Read More

Personality disorders are chronic conditions, and don't just suddenly appear one day out of the blue. They are deeply rooted ways of being in the world. Which is why the next time you meet that charming, charismatic, kind, generous, seemingly perfect person, it might make sense to slow down, check out his or her history, and peer behind the mask before leaping into any financial, professional or romantic relationship. There's an old saying: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Read More

When conducting forensic criminal evaluations, it is crucial to consider the broad context of symptoms and behavior over the course of time in each case. This is essential diagnostic information, and central to detecting the presence of latent character disorders, such as antisocial, narcissistic or borderline personality. Personality disorders are defined by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV-TR) as chronic, culturally deviant patterns of baseline symptoms and behavior that are inflexible, pervasive, enduring, cause impaired social, occupational or academic functioning, and can be traced back to childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. Despite what numerous expert commentators incorrectly indicate on various television shows covering sensational crimes like the "Craigslist Killer," personality disorders are real mental disorders, and can be both debilitating and dangerous to self and others. Read More

In my PT blog (Evil Deeds) I have been posting numerous examples of murderously violent behavior perpetrated by pathologically angry individuals, usually men, including the Columbine High School shootings, Virginia Tech, as well as some more recent savage massacres in Los Angeles, Germany, Florida and Alabama to mention but a few. Last week, in North Carolina, Robert Stewart opened fire at a nursing home, killing seven very elderly residents and a nurse. Police speculated that the forty-five-year-old Stewart, who did not commit suicide and is currently in custody, targeted the facility because his estranged wife once worked there. And just today, a forty-two-year-old gunman with a high-powered rifle killed thirteen victims, critically wounded four, and took at least forty-one people hostage in Binghamton, New York before finally shooting himself. Curiously, despite the clearly raging epidemic of anger-fueled violence in America and abroad, the almost one-thousand pages of the American Psychiatric Association's official diagnostic manual, the DSM-IV-TR, contain only a handful of diagnoses capable of accurately addressing this disturbing and growing phenomenon. This is a serious omission, demanding immediate attention. Read More