RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Clinical Vampirism: Blending Myth and Reality
JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law
FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
SP 533
OP 544
VO 22
IS 4
A1 Jaffé, Philip D.
A1 DiCataldo, Frank
YR 1994
UL http://jaapl.org/content/22/4/533.abstract
AB Vampires arouse strong popular interest and attract large print and film audiences. Their influence is also notable in clinical vampirism, a rare condition described in the forensic literature covering some of humanity’s most shocking behaviors. Definitions of vampirism involve aspects of necrophilia, sadism, cannibalism, and a fascination with blood. Its relationships with established diagnostic categories, particularly schizophrenia and psychopathy, are also examined and illustrated by the presentation of a “modern” vampire. As myth and reality are disentangled, clinical vampirism reveals the complex mother-child dyad’s blood ties running amok.