Could Schizophrenia Be The Answer To The Mysterious Vampire Legend :: essays research papers fc

Could Schizophrenia be the Answer to theMysterious Vampire Legend?The lamia fiction and many behaviors and experiences of schizophrenics seem to sh atomic number 18 many common traits. The traits that atomic number 18 most recognizable are "fears of being enclosed, periods of semistarvation or complete starvation, which stinkpot be associated with periodic gorging, reversal of the day-night cycle, and a preoccupation with or reverence of mirrors" (Kayton 304). Though the term schizophrenia or demence precoce was only introduced in 1852 (Boyle 43), behaviors of people bear upon by this illness have been documented much earlier.The concept of a at rest(predicate) person returning in his living physical hurl and feeding on the living is considered a vampire. The vampire is believed to also be capable of transmitting his vampirism to those he infect or bite. Kayton recognizes that though this belief has been found in early writings of the Babylonians, Semites, and Egypt ians, the most famous vampire scare swept Europe in 1730. This vampire epidemic lasted approximately five years (305).The legend consistency continues with adolescent and young braggy schizophrenia. It is presented to us that young suicide victims were most likely believed to become vampires and storm members of their families (Kayton 304-05). Suicide was not an uncommon event among schizophrenic patients (Boyle 255). Suicide patients are a very important part of this equation because according to the legend in England suicides were buried with a spike pierced in or near the heart. This was to ensure that that the ghost of the person would not come stand and haunt the living, to prevent the suicide victim from becoming a vampire (Kayton 305). In Dracula, Lucy was killed after she had already started to haunt the living. She was killed after with a stake driven through her heart as a "duty to others" and to the dead, so that she may truly be "passed away", as &qu otGods true dead" (266, 277-279). Some documented cases of vampirism indicate that sometimes the psychodynamics of vampires can erupt into materialized behavioral psychopathology (Kayton 304). For example, Vincenz Verzeni an Italian in 1872, a Frenchman named Leger in 1827, and a German Fritz Haarman demonstrate to the rare appearance of clinical vampirism (Kayton 306). Haarman himself killed approximately 24 adolescent males. This is interesting since many believe that vampires only attack those of the diametric sex. Even Bram Stokers Dracula disproves this belief when the Count (Dracula) informs the three vampire women that Jonathan belongs to him (55).