Can you imagine it – one of the most gruesome mass murders in modern times and psychiatrists cannot determine if the perpetrator is sane or insane! This is bizarre. After over 100 years of research and “experts” still cannot determine, with any degree of accuracy, if someone is sane or insane – it's a matter of a health professional’s judgement regarding the apparent behavioural and thought disorder patterns presented by an individual. This is a kind of “suck it and see” approach. There is no “test” for insanity or in fact for any other mental problem. This is something that the general public is never told.
I have been following Breivik’s trial in Norway quite closely and I have read much of what has been said about him on the internet – newspaper articles and scientific journals. Breivik is intelligent (possibly above average); he is articulate; he is meticulous in his planning (his killing spree was at least three years in the planning – possibly more); he is a conforming conservative in that he conforms to an older idea of what a “white”, Christian, Norway should be and he appears to be quite rational in that he can explain why he did what he did and is apparently satisfied that he achieved a level of success.
Breivik may have delusions of grandeur – just read some of the things he has said and look at photos of some of the uniforms he has worn. But these sorts of delusions are not unknown among the general public – this includes politicians and businessmen.
Breivik may be grossly misguided but he is certainly not insane (and my “assessment” is as good as any experts – just an educated guess). He knew what he was doing and is quite prepared to accept the consequences.
No comments:
Post a Comment