Good shrink could have tamed Stalin, saved millions: researcher

Yahoo ^ | 7/7/04 | AFP - London

[NormsRevenge]

LONDON (AFP) - Soviet dictator Stalin was a madman who could have benefited from a psychiatrist's attention and millions of lives could have been saved, a British researcher claimed.

Stalin, who ruled Russia from 1924 until his death in 1953, suffered from dementia caused by heart attacks, according to Dr George El-Nimr.

"This (Stalin's dementia) might be an explanation for the florid paranoia, dimming of his superior intellect and the unleashing of his most sadistic personality traits," Nimr told the annual conference of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Harrogate in northern England.

Nimr and two colleagues, Dr Baseem Habeeb and Dr Emad Sulib, discussed the consequences of madness on the behaviour of several 20th century political leaders.

They argued that undiagnosed dementia could affect the fate of nations, even the world.

Millions are estimated to have died as the result of Stalin's policies and in purges.

[ZULU]

From your lips to God's ears.

[swilhelm73]

It is truly bizaare in America that you can see someone wearing a Hammer and Sickle t-shirt hanging around the general area of the Holocaust museum and no one sees the paradox.

After WWII the cry was never again - well in that time there have been at least four more crimes against humanity of the same scope; Cambodia, China, Vietnam after the war, and Rwanda, of which your average American has probably only heard of the latter.

And of course our Soviet allies from WWII killed more people by a factor of 3-5 then did the NAZIs.

As RJ Rummel, the foremost expert on political mass murder (democide) has said, "Power kills, and absolute power kills absolutely," and there is no more all powerful form of government then that of communism.

[Redcoat LI]

Take two,and call me in the morning.

[FreeAtlanta]

BTW, I saw a history channel special that compared the childhoods of Stalin and Hitler - both lacked long term father figure and had a strong mother figure, and had problems with women.... my first thoughts, they could be talking about Bill Clinton.

[combat_boots]

The guy must be nuts himself. What ifs of history are worth.............let's see.............zip.

[moonhawk]

Oh, please...

Once again it's left to me to state the obvious:

"Good shrink" is an oxymoron. And the author of this piece is a regular one.

[Luke]

Good one, Mulder. I like your response.

[Rastus]

I think idealogically communism is great, in practice and with human nature, it is impossible.

I don't. Read the Communist Manifesto and tell me you like what you're reading. If you do, then we'll just agree to disagree. I like capitalism, both theoretically and in practice.

[Rastus]

I like the way you think.

[Watery Tart]

They argued that undiagnosed dementia could affect the fate of nations, even the world.

Which is why we dodged a bullet when Howlgore failed to steal the Presidency.

Which is why we gave to be ever vigilant in the future. We don't want to test this theory on females in pantsuits.

[drhogan]

as a psychologist, and a student of stalin's insanity, i can guarantee that no one could cure the guy. he was a sociopath, and not so brilliant. he was definitely crazy and also extremely evil. just because someone is crazy doesn't mean he isn't evil. (think of hitler, charles manson, etc.)
there is no cure for sociopathy. i would vote for a lethal injection for stalin, if i was his shrink.

[drhogan]

even if his dementia started in 1924, his sociopathy started long before then.

[Dan from Michigan]

Reminds me of the movie "Tango and Cash" where Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone (Framed cops) were on their way to their prison cells amid convicts who threatened certain acts upon them.

Cash - "Rehabilitation's hasn't worked here"
Tango - "Aw, they're just misunderstood"

[spunkets]

"Soviet dictator Stalin was a madman who could have benefited from a psychiatrist's attention and millions of lives could have been saved, a British researcher claimed. "

British researchers are dumb. The nutcrackers gave Stalin their attn and tossed Stalin's adversaries in their nuthouses to waste away, or be experimented on. They do the same today to folks w/o the proper attitude in a more suble way. Don't think so, well then you're just depressed and paranoid. Here's some pills...

[Jaysun]

A shrink? Aren't shrinks that same group of people that says that we should feel sorry for you if you methodically murder your five children? Psychiatry tells men that we need to open up and be sensitive to those around us. This is just self-serving propaganda. Don’t listen. They work in tandem with lawyers to screw men over in divorce and discrimination cases. The word "clitoris" should not offend anyone over the age of 14. The Freud junkies are more concerned with how you feel and who’s to blame than they are about the victims of your killing spree.

This guys proclamation that a shrink could have helped a nutjob like Stalin is just another lame attempt to put him (one of their heroes) in a more favorable light. Psychos.

[dfwgator]

A bullet to his brain would've been even more effective.

[VOA]

British researchers are dumb.

True in some cases.
But a good British accent is accredited an automatic +25 IQ points.

[VOA]

Stalin, who ruled Russia from 1924 until his death in 1953, suffered from dementia caused
by heart attacks, according to Dr George El-Nimr.

Hmmm...so was he already going into dementia during the 1932-33 Ukraainian famine?

Amazing the lengths that modern, rational peoplel like this shrink will go to in order
to not use the terms good and evil.

[Reactionary]

Right. Stalin's crimes weren't a result of collectivist ideology, but merely the result of a psychological illness.

What? Another attempt to resurrect the failed, bloody ideology of state socialism?