FREE ESSAY ON CASE STUDY: HANNIBAL LECTER

CASE STUDY: HANNIBAL LECTER

Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Dr. Lecter is a 56-year-old man who has never before been married. He was ordered by the
New York Supreme Court to seek counseling following his conviction for murder. He was
sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. According to police
records, Dr. Lecter has killed nine people of whom the last six were killed in a brief
spree of violence and whimsy. Each of his victims had been partially disfigured and Dr.
Lecter had admitted under oath to enjoying devouring pieces of the victims.
When he was six years old, he witnessed both his parents and younger sister Mischa
murdered and dismembered in their countryside home in England. The perpetrator was never
apprehended or brought to justice. He was subsequently placed in a state run orphanage
for the next ten years. On three separate occasions, he attempted to run away, however
each time he tried he was never gone for more than a day before being caught by police
for attempting to steal food or clothes from the local market. Every day he spent in the
orphanage made him more and more frustrated. He was very close to his sister and missed
her greatly. Almost daily, he would sit alone in his room and talk to his dead sister,
often times throughout the night. According to Dr. Lecter, Mischa would tell him what to
do each day and he would do it. The workers at the orphanage showed little love or
compassion for Dr. Lecter even though they were well aware of the traumatic event he
witnessed. Due to financial cutbacks, the orphanage was unable to provide the psychiatric
care that the state had mandated for Dr. Lecter.
When Dr. Lecter reached the age of 16, he was released from the orphanage and put of the
street. He went to stay with an Aunt and enrolled in school. He did extremely well in
school despite the fact that none of the other children would socialize with him. Overall
life with his Aunt was better than the orphanage, but still he grieved for his sister.
When he turned 20, his Aunt mysteriously disappeared, so he was alone again. He moved to
the United States and enrolled in the psychiatric department at Harvard University. He
earned his doctorate degree by the time he was twenty-seven. He then moved to New York
and assumed a position at a state run mental institution providing counseling and
assistance to the patients.
Dr. Lecter was soft-spoken, well mannered and very relaxed when he came to see me. He was
clean-shaven and very cordial. He was restrained by handcuffs and ankle-cuffs around his
wrists and ankles. When questioned about his childhood, he spoke only of Mischa, "Oh how
I love her so. You know she talks to me every day. How could God abandon her?" When asked
if he believed in God, he said, "Why would I believe in a God who does not answer my
prayers." When asked why he kills people, he said, "For I am royalty, a champion not
simply without, but especially without God or law." When asked if he has thoughts of
suicide, he said, "Why would I want to kill myself."
After only 30 minutes of therapy with Dr. Lecter, I felt extremely fatigued. I was
emotionally and physically drained. My muscles were tense and my jaw was sore from biting
down so hard. The manner in which he spoke made me nervous. I was uncomfortable in my own
office.
DIAGNOSIS
AXIS I
Paranoid Schizophrenia
AXIS II
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder
ANIX III
Diagnosis Deferred
AXIS IV
Incarcerated for life.
No social network.
AXIS V
Global Assessment of Functioning = 10
JUSTIFICATION OF DIAGNOSIS
Dr. Lecter is capable of functioning cognitively and has an appropriate affect. He does
suffer from delusions of royalty and compares himself to God. He suffers from auditory
hallucinations almost daily when he hears his sister speak to him. All of his delusions
and hallucinations center on the death of his sister. He is not suicidal. Until his
arrest he was fully employed as a Doctor of psychiatry.
Dr. Lecter has no social interactions. He has never been married and continued to live
alone. He continually violates and shows disregard for the rights of others through
aggressive behavior. He has murdered nine people and shows no remorse. Persistent danger
to severely hurting others. He enjoys eating his victims. Prior to the age of 15, he was
apprehended for stealing food and clothes. 
Global assessment is based on the primarily fact that he is an extreme danger to hurting
others. He is currently incarcerated for life. He enjoys hurting others. He does not have
suicidal thoughts and does maintain appropriate personal hygiene, as well as a full time
job.