Please don't misunderstand: I do not believe he is insane. I'm writing because I'm unhappy with some of the statements being made about why Norway's definition of legal insanity doesn't apply to Breivik. To me, they distort the meaning of "psychotic."
"In Norway, an insanity defense requires that a defendant be in a state of psychosis while committing the crime with which he or she is charged," says Ian MacDougall, writing for AP News. "That means the defendant has lost contact with reality to the point that he's no longer in control of his own actions."
MacDougall then writes that Dr. Tarjei Rygnestad, head of the Norwegian Board of Forensic Medicine, "...told the AP a psychotic person can only perform simple tasks. Even driving from downtown Oslo to the lake northwest of the capital, where Breivik opened fire at a political youth camp, would be too complicated."
Rygnestad continued, "If you have voices in your head telling you to do this and that, it will disturb everything, and driving a car is very complex."
These statements trouble me, not as far as they apply to Breivik's horrific crimes, but by the way they characterize people suffering from psychosis. Unable to drive a car? Hardly. Our readers' stories alone prove otherwise. "Usually when I'm driving I see gremlins chasing me," wrote Corlath when describing his hallucinations.
Defining "psychosis" by the inability to do complex tasks is absurd, and for a prominent doctor to have said this is irresponsible.
"Insanity" is a slippery term, but it is my firm opinion that Anders Breivik is not insane.
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Hi, I had psychosis. It’s complicated. He could have done it in the midst of ‘frankness of experience’ although the odds are, he was not in that state when he carried out the killings.
Even when hallucinating ‘all that there was’, I was still able to make tea and drive my car. What I could not do was tell left from right so I got lost 3 streets from my house, abandoned the car, and eventually ended up on my road by chance. Yes he could have done it in the ‘Full’ state.
Show me the video and I’ll tell you exactly who was in the ‘driving seat’ at the time.
Sadly, until our governments stop using ‘psychosis’ as a patsy for ‘pot’, we’ll never know the wood from the trees..
During florid psychosis, I could see how many tasks would be difficult. When I was in this state (extremely paranoid and hearing voices plotting against me), I was able to drive to and from work, but that route was very routine. I don’t remember much about the drive, just that I was yelling at the top of my lungs at the voices. I am not sure how I would have done going an alternate route, but I suspect I would have managed, even with the voices.
I am not sure about whether he was suffering from psychosis or not. I do agree that it is likely that he fits a definition of insane though. I read today about his lists of demands on the Norwegian government. They are definitely not the actions or thoughts of a sane man. I know it is tough to think that he will “get off” on an insanity plea, but I don’t think spending your life in a psychiatric hospital is exactly “getting off”. Considering his crimes I doubt he would get out for a very long time if ever. We are not inside his head so I don’t believe we can judge his mental state just like we don’t want others to make assumptions about us.
I would have to agree with you on this one…it seems to me, the definition of insanity changes with how much you pay your lawyer per hour.
This is clearly another sordid case case of mis-information; particularly on the part of the law enforcement and medical officials of Norway.
It is understandable that these people would respond the way that they did; for the simple fact of never having a mass murder of this magnitude on their shores.
For, Dr. Tarjei Rygnestad, to say,”a psychotic person can only perform simple tasks”. is utter rubbish at its finest.
If this was in fact the case, how in the world would we be able to listen to incredible stories from, Electroboy; who went on international trips on a frequent basis while experiencing a manic state.
Personally, I feel that psychosis is many times mistaken for mania.
Psychosis is defined in simple form as, “Any severe form of mental disorder”.
While in contrast, mania is defined as,”excessive excitement or enthusiasm”.
In light of these definitions, I in no way feel that the man who perpetrated this mass killing in, Norway, was manic nor psychotic when he committed these crimes.
It is also my understanding, from further research, that he was also a member of the Freemasons; which is the largest worldwide men’s fraternal organization.
If he was not of able mind & body, he would not have been able to gain entrance into this prestigious organization in the first place.
In closing, if the Norway court system finds this guy mentally unfit to stand trail, it would be a travesty of the international justice system.
~JB3
The body remembers what the mind forgets. Who was driving the car when when you realize your thoughts have been somewhere else?
I think it may be true. When I experienced psychosis, it was difficult to drive. Not that I fogot how to drive or that I couldn’t drive, but I was so frightened out of my mind, and that is what made it difficult to drive or do any ohter easy task.
I don’t believe he was psychotic he apparently had these ideas planed well in advance before he did them, i was told by the news that he was planing this day for over 5 years before he carried it out, he had every detail planed including getting a police uniform so he could get the youth to come to him when he arrived that to me it does not suggest psychotic but a rational thought process.
Plus he gave himself up, a lot of people kill himself before the police get to them, and he says stuff like, ” i know it was extreme but it had to be done” that shows he knows what he is doing is wrong but he isn’t going to stop. he says “the more dead the better” because he is an extremist, we don’t count terrorist as being mentally ill. I personally think he may have a personality disorder but i wouldn’t think that makes him “insane”, though i am not a doctor and the only information i have got is from the tv and that can not always be actuate. What ever happens i hope he gets the help he needs and a real long punishment!
I can slip into psychosis with few people knowing it (including myself) for a very long time. By the time anyone suspects, I’m pretty far gone with the delusions. I have done all kinds of complex things hearing, seeing, and believing things that were not true. I may not have done them well, but driving was never an issue. Heck, I drove myself to the therapist where is it was finally discovered I’d been off in delusion-land for months & was completely out of reality. I drove myself back home too. My mother followed me, then she drove me to the hospital. I’ve worked as an RN seriously deluded before.