Just wondering, are Hannibal Lecter's diagnostic skills accurate and realistic?

[coralfangs]

I've always wondered about this.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[kugel]

I've always wondered about this.

It's his treatment regimens that have me concerned.
That, and his business model. Hard to get repeat customers.

 

[whopper]

I'd say no.

While there are some things he certainly seemed on target (no pun intended) that psychiatrists could do, he appeared to be able to predict people's actions in terms of strategy and combat to the point where he was very effective in killing people.

The latter is something I would not attribute to psychiatrists no matter how good they are. It's one thing to psychoanalyze Clarice Starling to the point where you bring her to tears. It's another thing to start predicting how a fight's going to turn out, avoid FBI agents and hired mercenaries, and notice someone's tailing you, then stab them and puncture their inferior vena cava in one move based on psychiatric training.

Psychiatrists are not trained in assasination. Nor can they do what Deathstroke (the DC comics villain) does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathstroke

Another thing about Lecter is in the 2nd movie, he was able to discern people's motives and intents just by listening to them for a few minutes. IMHO, only the best could do that but only after truly getting to know the person over the course of time, not just seeing them for a few seconds on television.

 

[Doc Samson]

His skills of observation and inductive reasoning have more in common with Sherlock Holmes than Freud.

 

[digitlnoize]

I'd say no.

While there are some things he certainly seemed on target (no pun intended) that psychiatrists could do, he appeared to be able to predict people's actions in terms of strategy and combat to the point where he was very effective in killing people.

The latter is something I would not attribute to psychiatrists no matter how good they are. It's one thing to psychoanalyze Clarice Starling to the point where you bring her to tears. It's another thing to start predicting how a fight's going to turn out, avoid FBI agents and hired mercenaries, and notice someone's tailing you, then stab them and puncture their inferior vena cava in one move based on psychiatric training.

Psychiatrists are not trained in assasination. Nor can they do what Deathstroke (the DC comics villain) does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathstroke

Another thing about Lecter is in the 2nd movie, he was able to discern people's motives and intents just by listening to them for a few minutes. IMHO, only the best could do that but only after truly getting to know the person over the course of time, not just seeing them for a few seconds on television.

I ran into Anthony Hopkins once, while shopping in the grocery store. He was in town for a film festival...I was kinda speechless...In retrospect, I should've asked him about fava beans...

I had always assumed that he had undertaken extra, personal study in the "combat" type arts...Plus, with his medical training, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that he could stab someone in the IVC, with some practice, which I'm sure he had...

 

[nitemagi]

I've heard he writes his lines on the bottom of props and reads the lines off of them during filming.

 

[coralfangs]

Interesting...

I've always wanted to psychoanalyze people but I wonder if the field is dying down.
Back when I was doing my psych clerkship, the younger attendings basically ridiculed the field because the only psychoanalyst there was close to 80 yrs old and he thought every patient was a homosexual to some degree (no kidding).

I'd say no.

While there are some things he certainly seemed on target (no pun intended) that psychiatrists could do, he appeared to be able to predict people's actions in terms of strategy and combat to the point where he was very effective in killing people.

The latter is something I would not attribute to psychiatrists no matter how good they are. It's one thing to psychoanalyze Clarice Starling to the point where you bring her to tears. It's another thing to start predicting how a fight's going to turn out, avoid FBI agents and hired mercenaries, and notice someone's tailing you, then stab them and puncture their inferior vena cava in one move based on psychiatric training.

Psychiatrists are not trained in assasination. Nor can they do what Deathstroke (the DC comics villain) does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathstroke

Another thing about Lecter is in the 2nd movie, he was able to discern people's motives and intents just by listening to them for a few minutes. IMHO, only the best could do that but only after truly getting to know the person over the course of time, not just seeing them for a few seconds on television.

 

[kugel]

Not ALL Psychiatrists are trained in assassination.

There, I fixed it.

 

[9point75]

I thought Lecter sliced open that dude's femoral artery when he was being tailed in Italy? At least it looked similar to that when my resident's would canulate the femoral artery and then try to convince themselves and me that they were really in the vein

 

[whopper]

Hmm, may have been the femoral. I haven't seen the movie in years.

I've always wanted to psychoanalyze people but I wonder if the field is dying down.

I've noticed that the more I've done private practice and being the attending in a long-term facility, the more I'm doing psychoanalysis. In those settings, you can get to know someone over the course of months to years.

Doing psychoanalysis in an ER, short term facility (you see the person just for a few days) forget about it.