We watch numerous psychological thrillers on TV and especially OTT platforms but what lessons of mental health can we take away from them? Let us do a case study on the life of the psychotic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
OTT platforms nowadays are filled with psychopathic thrillers, some of them based on true incidents like the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, the story of Charles Shobhraj, two of the most ruthless serial killers of our time. There are other kind of stories too like the one’s based on serial rapists like in the famous series ‘Unbelievable’. Everyday, the viewership of these shows go up. But, the question for all of us remains, do we learn anything from them or do we just pretend that they are pieces of fiction? After all, they are based on real events and real people have been killed, raped or traumatized for life because of them.
There are numerous lessons of mental health that we can all take away from these true stories. In this article, I am here to talk about Jeffry Dahmer, one of the most complicated and ruthless psychopaths that ever lived, and what lessons I took away from it. Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was accused of killing and dismembering 17 people over the span of 13 years. He was also accused of cannibalism.
Lack Of Attention On Mental Health
The first thing that I noticed was the sheer lack of attention on mental health during that age. He was born in America in 1960. This is probably when people did not even know the idea behind mental health, therapy, counselling or anything that could help him person open up. If there was, he would never have committed the gruesome killings he is infamous for.
He Was A Homosexual Who Never Opened Up To His Family
Jeffrey Dahmer was a homosexual brought up in a dysfunctional family. His mother was a drug addict and an alcoholic. He neither came out of the closet, nor did he have the environment to accept and acknowledge his sexuality. Now we know why this is so important.
He Suffered Constant Childhood Trauma Which Obviously Had A Lifetime Impact
He witnessed his parents engage in very violent fights from childhood which is the definition of dysfunction. He witnessed his mother take drugs and become an alcoholic. His mother hardly ever paid attention to her son. He perceived this as normal and slowly became attuned to it.
He Did Not Receive Enough Care As A Child
Let us face it, not getting the care that people need especially when they are kids can leave lifelong scars and may also develop into psychopathic tendencies later in life. This is exactly what happened to Jefferey Dahmer.
He Was An Isolated Soul
Dahmer barely had any friends. He was an antisocial, yes, but even people who are antisocial and introverts have one or two friends. But, Dahmer did not have that privilege. Years of isolation can turn people into a different person altogether.
Dahmer Was Obsessive And Over Possessive
These are qualities that are never normal. Caring for a person is one thing but being possessive and controlling is another and could also be a sign of sociopathic or preliminary psychopathic tendencies.
