What's the difference between a paraphiliac and a psychopath?
One of Canada's worst douchebags, former colonel Russell Williams, is deservedly confined to a tiny cell in Kingston Penitentiary after killing two women, raping two others, and stealing panties and bras from dozens of others.
I've always figured this guy was a psychopath. Now, a new book by the Globe's Timothy Appleby claims he's a paraphiliac (in other words, a serious sex pervert) with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Some commenters on this site clearly disagree with Appleby's armchair diagnosis.
Comments
2 Comments
Steve Boyd
Apr 25, 2011 at 8:11pm
I guy like that, with such access to weapons, I'd respect him a little, if when he realized what he was, he drew his sidearm, stepped out over the plate and took one for the team.
Bruce Mansbridge, PhD
Apr 26, 2011 at 8:52am
As a psychologist specializing in obsessive-compulsive disorder, I want to point out that Timothy Appleby may well be incorrect in his armchair diagnosis of "obsessive-compulsive personality disorder," but Charlie Smith is definitely wrong when he misquotes this as "obsessive-compulsive disorder." Despite the similarity in names, they are entirely distinct psychiatric disorders. OCD is a very common anxiety disorder in which individuals perform mental or physical compulsions to relieve intense anxiety from obsessive thoughts that won't go away. People with OCD often fear they might do harm, but they very rarely do. Williams' behavior is not consistent with a diagnosis of OCD, and hardly dispositive of a diagnosis of OCPD.