Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
False
Psychiatry
Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
Talk about psychiatry with the community
According to a new psychiatric evaluation mass killer Anders Breivik is sane, overturning a previous evaluation which labelled him criminally insane. His actions were inhumane and that of someone's re
0
Cat:OpenClinicalForum:fe67deac-c9c4-4b60-b2bc-a8031c68b5c6
Cat:OpenClinicalForum:fe67deac-c9c4-4b60-b2bc-a8031c68b5c6Discussion:abb4415a-0fd6-463c-bb85-3f9a4b6c396a
Forums » Open clinical » Psychiatry » Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
|
Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 11/4/2012 10:22 AM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 1447
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
According to a new psychiatric evaluation mass killer Anders Breivik is sane, overturning a previous evaluation which labelled him criminally insane. His actions were inhumane and that of someone's reality so far removed from most peoples' , but he was clearly on a crusade of sorts. He strikes me as a very calculated individual who knew exactly what he wanted to do and then did it. Perhaps to make sense of the killings, the media/society deals with Breivik by intially labelling him insane, so we can dismiss Breivik as someone who had a problem thus nipping it in the bud. But with this new evaluation - which defines him as sane - this opens up the reality that he was in control of his actions and could calmly go around murdering people, in full knowledge of what he was doing. Does this new ruling mean that murder can be the action of a sane person? Was Breivik just being true to his own beliefs (no matter how atrocious they were)? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17663958 |
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 11/4/2012 5:08 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 1285
First: 9/12/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
The definition of sanity Versus insanity verges on INSANITY! Anyone who in cold blood kills people for no reason, is Insane. Although I prefer the term Sociopath or Psychopath, but perhaps a new term is needed. Perhaps a better question needs to be asked, Who Cares? Whether he is sane or insane, Either Execute him, or lock him up for Life! It matters not what we label a person who is a serious danger to society, rather what matters is that we take serious steps to contain his danger, and lock him up! DuaneF |
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 11/4/2012 6:38 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 2049
First: 12/3/2010 Last: 22/5/2013 |
"Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he were sane he had to fly them" Recognise the quote? Catch-22. Anyone who is able to survive in society, plan and carry out an 'execution' of 72 people, must be sane. But to kill 72 people for no reason, no reason at all that any sane person can understand, must be the act of a madman. Yossarian resolves the paradox by realising that while the rule does not really exist, the authorities believe it does exist, and therefore it cannot be repealed. I know, a paradox within a paradox, but then the Authorities themselves resolve it by promotiong Yossarian to a rank which prevents him flying any more missions. So, resolve this paradox. Lock him up for life. John |
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 14/4/2012 6:09 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 8
First: 23/5/2010 Last: 27/11/2012 |
A sodier designed to fight for King/Queen and Country would have the same doctrine inculcated the same way as a crusader of example. The only problem here is his target of attacked is a proxy. |
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 14/4/2012 6:37 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 1285
First: 9/12/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
Hizo, Comparison of a Soldier to a mass murderer is both inaccurate, and Disrespectful, Soldiers fight for their country, and freedom, As a Veteran of 8 years Military Service I take exception to your comparison. Murderers are violent animals, soldiers are people who give of themselves so that others may remain free. DuaneF In Response to Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?: A sodier designed to fight for King/Queen and Country would have the same doctrine inculcated the same way as a crusader of example. The only problem here is his target of attacked is a proxy. Insanity now relies on whether he can identify the the real target or believes the proxy that he attacked was a target - insanity would to believe the proxy was a real target. In this circumstance he would in a state of delusion, thus insane. Posted by Hizo |
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 14/4/2012 9:31 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 1266
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 21/5/2013 |
But Duane - I care and I happen to think it does matter. If we believe no sane person could have done what Breivik did then we have to assume he is not sane. If that's the case then, by definition, we must regard him as mentally ill and, as doctors, do our best to treat him. It may be that he may never respond to treatment and so, sane or insane, he ends up in prison for life. But what if he responds successfully to treatment? He can't then be condemned to spend his life in prison for something he did because he was mentally ill. And if he is no longer ill should he not be released? So it's not really a straight forward black-and-white "lock him up and throw away the key" scenario. In the last 30 years over 60 people with mental illness have been executed in the USA and it's estimated that between 5 and 10% of people on death row in the USA have a serious mental illness. And the Bureau of Justice Statistics has estimated that over a quarter of a million mentally ill people are incarcerated in US jails. As doctors we have to take a stand against such action and against the death penalty in general (which, by the way, has never been shown to be a more effective deterent to crime than other forms of punishment). |
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 14/4/2012 10:14 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 2
First: 14/4/2012 Last: 16/4/2012 |
I have no idea if Mr Brevik is sane and as a practicing psychiatrist I do not pronounce upon the sanity of those I have not examined. In any other speciality of medicine would we be invited to publicly opine upon the diagnosis of a figure in the news? I fully support the general discussion of the public perception of sanity - but we should bear in mind that the stereotypical media reaction that any horrible act is due to mental illness adds to the burden of stigma that my patients face every day. Are we reinforcing this perception by our erudite musing?
|
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 14/4/2012 11:21 PM BST
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 5
First: 13/3/2012 Last: 14/8/2012 |
In Response to Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?: It is a rather frivolous question...! Depraved behaviour like that of Breivik cannot be said to be originating in a normal, rational brain. However cold and calculating he may seem, his tragic response to a perceived 'poison' in his view of society was completely disproportionate. This amounts to insanity. To label him as a 'sane' (normal thinking) person is fallacious and dehumanises all of us. After all we would not have classed Hitler and his close coterie as being sane however monstrously evil their actions.... |
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 15/4/2012 5:17 AM BST
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 1285
First: 9/12/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
Skysteve, Look I do not wish to be drawn into a debate about the Death penalty, since this is not the topic of the post.If this person killed 72 people, whether a Psychiatrist says he is sane or insane is just semantics, he is envincing a depraved indifference to human life and should never be released from jail. How would you feel Steve if he Murdered your family member and some moronic Doctor said, "Hey lets release him from the mental instititution, he is all better!" yeah right, get real.!!! All this pie in the sky Touchy Feely crap needs to swallow a strong dose of REALITY! Mass murderers need to be Locked up, Period! DuaneF |
|
|
Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
posted at 15/4/2012 7:53 AM BST
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 8
First: 23/5/2010 Last: 27/11/2012 |
In Response to Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?: Hizo, Comparison of a Soldier to a mass murderer is both inaccurate, and Disrespectful, Soldiers fight for their country, and freedom, As a Veteran of 8 years Military Service I take exception to your comparison. Murderers are violent animals, soldiers are people who give of themselves so that others may remain free. DuaneF In Response to Re: Is Anders Behring Breivik sane? : Posted by DuaneF Thank you for your courageous act, did you kill people randomly or just your target? Would you consider random killing and rape in the Vietnam war sane or insane? |
Forums » Open clinical » Psychiatry » Is Anders Behring Breivik sane?
