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Date Posted: 15:46:13 09/25/03 Thu
Author: Bill
Subject: forensic psychology questions

Hello,Bill from the Netherlands here. Let me state up front that I am no serial killer in the making neither am I an insider in forensics or psychology/psychiatry. But my interest is fed by my attempt to write a book.I have placed these questions in several discussion boards but up till now no answers. Either my questions are obviously not interesting or simply considered ridiculous ( if so I appologize ).Also the other boards are not visited often.
Maybe I can find someone in here who can answer some questions that have come to my mind after reading several books on profiling, criminal violence and many newsletters.

1:

Of course the entire behavioral study of serail killers shows numerous abnormalities but one thing I noticed would be mentioned in several cases I read but never was really explained psychologicaly. Besides being a possible physical reaction to an adrenaline rush caused while performing a murder, are there perhaps also psychological explanations to why some killers defecate /urinate or utilize feces ( Richard Trenton Chase left a victime behind with animal feces in her mouth ) in other unnatural manners at the crime scene? Perhaps I cant get an answer because there is no psychological explanation but I would like to know if that is so too.



2:

A totally different topic that I find interesting concerns the link between the male sex hormone testosterone and sex crimes.

Assuming ex FBI profiler Bob Ressler is right that all serial killers are sexual killers, and their crimes find their origins in the fantasies they probably already have been developing as a child, but become more and more sexual related and violent during puberty and adolescence, could there be a linkage between testosterone level,( being the sex drive regulator and levels of this hormone inclining during puverty), and eventually the developement of paraphilia fantasies in to sexual crimes/homicides and/or serial homicides?
And if this is the case, could declining of libido before adulthood by treatment with anti-depressants or anti- androgens in persons who fit the psychological/social/enviormental blueprint of the future possible serail killers, prevent them comitting sex crimes?
In the stretch of this question the opposite question interests me too. Namely if the same persons would be triggered towards sex crimes if their testosterone levels were syntheticly boosted by for example usage of anabolic steroids? High testosterone levels are known to possibly cause agression and depressions but how would they effect persons with parafilic fantasies?


I did find the following info on the internet but it does not really cover my questions ,

Prisoners arrested for pedophilia, exhibitionism or other sexually deviant acts often receive psychotherapy-an approach which unfortunately does little to stop them from re-offending. A new report on paraphilias (socially deviant, repetitive, arousing sexual fantasies, urges, and activities) suggests that medical approaches may be far more effective in treating sexual deviancy.

Martin Kafka, who notes that individuals with paraphilias generally exhibit multiple sexual impulsivity disorders, theorizes that such disorders involve abnormalities of the brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, collectively known as monoamines. Among the evidence he cites:

Depleting central [brain] serotonin in rats causes them to exhibit "compulsive" sexual behavior.
The sexual behavior of castrated male rats can be restored with a combination of low-dose testosterone and a serotonin-reducing drug, while low doses of testosterone alone fail to restore sexual activity.
Yohimbine and idozoxan, drugs that enhance norepinephrine's activity, facilitate the sexual behavior of rats, while drugs that reduce norepinephrine's activity have the opposite effect.
Drugs that blockade dopamine receptors can abolish all sexual behavior in male rats, while drugs that increase dopamine's effects enhance copulatory behavior in male rats.
While it's easier to study sexual behavior in rats than in humans, Kafka says that existing human research also points to monoamines as a factor in paraphilias. For instance, he notes, Prozac and other serotonin-enhancing drugs "have been reported to produce a high frequency of human sexual dysfunction side effects including the cluster of loss of sexual desire and impaired copulatory response in males"-an indication that high serotonin levels in the brain can inhibit sexual desire and performance. Drugs that blockade dopamine receptors decrease sexual appetite, while dopamine enhancing drugs such as L-DOPA can lead to increased sexual desire.
Because testosterone and other sex hormones affect levels of monoamines, Kafka says, "it is most likely that hormones and monoamine neurotransmitters interact in a dynamic fashion that determines the form and intensity of drive behaviors, including sexual behavior." Pointing to the high incidence of depression, anxiety, impulsivity, compulsiveness, and aggression in paraphilics, Kafka notes that reduced serotonin levels are linked to all of these behavior abnormalities. He also notes that alterations in norepinephrine have been reported in sensation-seeking individuals.

If Kafka's theory is correct, drug therapies that alter monoamine levels should lead to changes in paraphilic behavior. Indeed, Kafka says, studies show that drugs that alter monoamine levels can alter sexually deviant behavior. Among research findings:

A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study found that both clomipramine (a serotonin-enhancing drug) and desipramine (a norepinephrine-enhancing drug) helped reduce paraphilic behavior.
Several case studies and two open trial studies indicate that Prozac reduces paraphilic behavior. While Prozac is most often used to treat depression, and many of the treated paraphilics had co-existing depression, Kafka says that "a positive treatment response was independent of baseline depression rating."
In a 12-week open trial of sertraline, another serotonin-enhancing drug, researchers reported decreased pedophilic fantasies and other deviant behaviors among personality disordered pedophiles taking the drug.
While Kafka says more research is needed, he believes "the most recent data [suggest] that serotonergic agents may represent a contemporary advance in the treatment of deviant sexuality."

Assuming Bob Ressler is right that all serial killers are sexual killers and their crimes find their origins in the fantasies they probably already have been developing as a child but become more and more sexual related during puberty and adolescence, could there be a linkage between testosterone
( being the libido regulator )level,and tendency to developparaphiliass? And if so, would medication which declines libido such as some anti-depressants or anti-androgens or even surgical castration possibly have influence on a serial killers fantasies?

Prisoners arrested for pedophilia, exhibitionism or other sexually deviant acts often receive psychotherapy-an approach which unfortunately does little to stop them from re-offending. A new report on paraphilias (socially deviant, repetitive, arousing sexual fantasies, urges, and activities) suggests that medical approaches may be far more effective in treating sexual deviancy.

Martin Kafka, who notes that individuals with paraphilias generally exhibit multiple sexual impulsivity disorders, theorizes that such disorders involve abnormalities of the brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, collectively known as monoamines. Among the evidence he cites:

Depleting central [brain] serotonin in rats causes them to exhibit "compulsive" sexual behavior.
The sexual behavior of castrated male rats can be restored with a combination of low-dose testosterone and a serotonin-reducing drug, while low doses of testosterone alone fail to restore sexual activity.
Yohimbine and idozoxan, drugs that enhance norepinephrine's activity, facilitate the sexual behavior of rats, while drugs that reduce norepinephrine's activity have the opposite effect.
Drugs that blockade dopamine receptors can abolish all sexual behavior in male rats, while drugs that increase dopamine's effects enhance copulatory behavior in male rats.
While it's easier to study sexual behavior in rats than in humans, Kafka says that existing human research also points to monoamines as a factor in paraphilias. For instance, he notes, Prozac and other serotonin-enhancing drugs "have been reported to produce a high frequency of human sexual dysfunction side effects including the cluster of loss of sexual desire and impaired copulatory response in males"-an indication that high serotonin levels in the brain can inhibit sexual desire and performance. Drugs that blockade dopamine receptors decrease sexual appetite, while dopamine enhancing drugs such as L-DOPA can lead to increased sexual desire.
Because testosterone and other sex hormones affect levels of monoamines, Kafka says, "it is most likely that hormones and monoamine neurotransmitters interact in a dynamic fashion that determines the form and intensity of drive behaviors, including sexual behavior." Pointing to the high incidence of depression, anxiety, impulsivity, compulsiveness, and aggression in paraphilics, Kafka notes that reduced serotonin levels are linked to all of these behavior abnormalities. He also notes that alterations in norepinephrine have been reported in sensation-seeking individuals.

If Kafka's theory is correct, drug therapies that alter monoamine levels should lead to changes in paraphilic behavior. Indeed, Kafka says, studies show that drugs that alter monoamine levels can alter sexually deviant behavior. Among research findings:

A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study found that both clomipramine (a serotonin-enhancing drug) and desipramine (a norepinephrine-enhancing drug) helped reduce paraphilic behavior.
Several case studies and two open trial studies indicate that Prozac reduces paraphilic behavior. While Prozac is most often used to treat depression, and many of the treated paraphilics had co-existing depression, Kafka says that "a positive treatment response was independent of baseline depression rating."
In a 12-week open trial of sertraline, another serotonin-enhancing drug, researchers reported decreased pedophilic fantasies and other deviant behaviors among personality disordered pedophiles taking the drug.
While Kafka says more research is needed, he believes "the most recent data [suggest] that serotonergic agents may represent a contemporary advance in the treatment of deviant sexuality."

Thanks for taking the time to read all this :)

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