<p>[Josef</a> Fritzl son-in-law ‘didn’t know of dungeon’ - Telegraph](<a href=“http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/josef_fritzl/1934494/Josef-Fritzl-son-in-law-‘didn’t-know-of-dungeon’.html]Josef”>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/josef_fritzl/1934494/Josef-Fritzl-son-in-law-‘didn’t-know-of-dungeon’.html)</p>
<p>I had to read this several times to make sure it wasn’t an Onion article… Uh, what’s the word for this guy’s level of delusion?</p>
<p>Um, psychiatric disorder. I think something’s missing up there.</p>
<p>Interesting that the courts and government are considering changing sentence times and requirements because of it. Nice.</p>
<p>Not quite as bad as Ed Gein, but still pretty ****ed up.</p>
<p>Severe personality disorder, he was raised in an unorthodox way.</p>
<p>I almost threw up when I heard about this. That’s absolutely disgusting. Someone kill him.</p>
<p>“It is not a sign of mental illness, but rather of an extreme personality disorder.”</p>
<p>Does anyone else think that quote sounds like a total contradiction? In my mind, severe personality disorder <-> mental illness. No?</p>
<p>…so let me get this straight.</p>
<p>Not a monster because he let her live as a ****toy?</p>
<p>Ugh. Please.</p>
<p>Let’s just go to the federal prison and release every rapist and child molester out there – 'cause OBVIOUSLY they were just exercising their power (which, obviously, they can’t help doing 'cause they’re chock full of mental disorders!).</p>
<p>that argument gets soooo old.</p>
<p>somebody lock his a** up and let some fat chick rape him for 20 yrs.</p>
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</p>
<p>Technically, a personality disorder is used to explain someone’s behavior and attitudes when it is shown to be markedly different from the expectations of the individual’s culture. It is usually something that has been initialised via environmental factors, ie. how they were brought up. In general, a mental illness is something that the individual cannot help, ie. there is a defect in their psychological or emotional make-up. Personality disorders are usually treated by a psychologist, mental illnesses by a psychiatrist. Personality disorders include narcissism, paranoia and antisocial behaviour etc. Mental illnesses include schizophrenia, alzheimers, ADHD, OCD and Tourette’s etc.</p>
<p>I’d say this guy had both a personality disorder and some sort of mental illness.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>hewey: I understand the difference (looked it up beforehand so I could make sure I wasn’t totally off base and looking like an idiot ;)), but I just don’t see it to be particularly substantive.</p>
<p>For example, when is hyperactivity a personality disorder, and when is it a mental illness? When does paranoia turn into schizophrenia? I don’t think that line is well-defined. More critically, if so many personality disorders can be seen as milder forms of mental illnesses, is there a distinction at all?</p>
<p>seriously, how many times can you “plead insanity” and such? I sail nail his behind to a jail cell!! Seriously, someone should bring back stoning, that always got the job done.</p>
<p>Oh, I’m not denying that one “disorder” can’t be classified as both and that one can’t develop into another. I’ve watched it happen and it definitely isn’t well defined. Anyone involved in psychology or psychiatry could argue for ages about that stuff. I was just making that point that there is <em>some sort</em> of distinction there. Environmental vs. Biological.</p>