Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Looking At The Most Dangerous of Stalkers

For a psychotic and delusional stalker, an imaginary love is better than no love at all.  The core of  their obsession is based on a fantasy, what they cannot attain in reality is achieved through this fantasy.  When their expected affections are not returned, the stalker often reacts with threats and intimidation.  If this doesn't accomplished what they hoped, the stalker can become violent and even homicidal.  The delusional stalker is more dangerous because they view their victim as an object that they alone must possess and control.  This is the most tenacious type and with delusions lasting an average of 10 years.  Paranoia may make he/she act aggressively towards a third party.  They may believe there is a conspiracy to keep their love objects away from them.  In order to protect the object of desire, they feel they need to eliminate the third party.  Paranoid stalkers frequently come in contact with the police during misguided attempts to rescue the individual from imagined danger.  The typical profile is that of a single, socially immature loner, who has been unable to establish or keep close relationships with others.  They rarely date and have had few sexual relationships.  Most come from emotionally starved or severely abusive childhood.  Most have a predisposition toward psychosis.  The most common victim is a person of a higher status who has little previous contact with the stalker.  The stalker believes he/she already has a close bond or will in the future.  Usually the chosen victims are unattainable.  The victim may be in a relationship already.  Frequently, it is someone who has been kind to them.  For example, a therapist, clergyman, doctor, teacher or even a policeman who stopped them but did not give them a ticket.  Those in helping professions, are vulnerable to delusional stalkers.  The professional may have treated the stalker with warmth and he/she turns this into a delusion of intimacy.  This would be easy because the stalker has difficulty separating reality from fantasy.  Victims should have absolutely no contact with the suspect.  Attempts to appease or ignore will not work.  Restraining and protective orders frequently do not work and may make the stalking worse.  Believing that they are meant to be together, most stalkers are not afraid of having legal consequences of violating the restraining order.  It is important to identify the stalker's potential for violence when he has be caught.  A threat assessment is essential.  If the suspect is mentally ill, he/she be be involuntary committed to a psychiatric hospital for a 72 hour evaluation.  If the stalker has a treatable psychiatric disorder, he/she may benefit from psychotropic medications or therapy. Truly antisocial or psychopathic stalkers should get their treatment in jail or prison.

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