Profile of Jeffrey Dahmer

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(1) What was Jeffery Dahmer mental disorder? Why do you think he had this problem?

Jeffrey Dahmer was diagnosed by a psychiatrist (Dr. Wahlstrom, as cited In Giannettakis, n.d.) during his trial who diagnosed him as a"Psychotic, a Sadist maniac, who was suffering from a long duration of mental illness for which he never received care". Further, he stated that Dahmer displayed fantasies, aggressiveness and angry feelings toward men, because he wanted to kill his attraction for them. In doing so he felt that he could destroy the part of himself that he hated the most (Giannettakis, n.d.). Yet, another physician (Dr. Dietz) described Dahmers as sane, and described him as a Paraphilic, but not a sadist, since he tried to avoid sufferings to his victims. For example, he provided them with sedative powders, and empowered himself with alcohol (www.criminal-psychologist.net).

(2) What was Jeffery Dahmer age, gender, drug and alcohol history, goals, coping skills and weakness?

Dahmer was born Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer in May 21, 1960. He was a male child with a normal childhood. After birth it is reported that he had some problems with his legs and was immobilized up to four months. However, based on his biography, he grew up as a healthy beautiful child and had normal achievements for his age. However, as he grew older, he became withdrawn and uncommunicative. Jeffrey Dahmer is described as showing little to no interest in hobbies or social interaction by the time he was 10 and 15. For coping skills, he became interested in dead animals, and began a bout with alcohol during his high school years. He continued to drink heavily, which was a weakness, as following high school he was eventually kicked out of the service because of his addiction to alcoholism. Dahmer's parents were Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. Joyce's father was reported to be "severely alcoholic", and it appears that Dahmer followed in his footsteps.

(3) What was the history of his mental problem or symptoms?

Reports on Dahmer's childhood appear to contribute some of his mental problems to his mother (Joyce). Joyce is stated to have had problems during her pregnancy and started taking drugs to treat her sickness. In addition, she exhibited unstable behavior such as refusing to breast feed Dahmer, and hearing noises; and ...