Vampires, Werewolves & Demons: Twentieth Century Reports in the Psychiatric Literature

by Richard Noll

Vampires, Werewolves and Vampires, Werewolves and Bruner FIRST First Edition, First Printing. Published by Bruner Meisel, 1992. Octavo. Hardcover. Book is like new. Dust jacket is like new. Seller 505737 Philosophy & Psychology

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, History, Vampires, True Crime

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1991

About the author

Dr. Richard Dean Noll, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology, New School for Social Research, 1992; B.A., Political Science, University of Arizona, 1979), is a clinical psychologist, historian of medicine, and Associate Professor of Psychology in the College of Sciences at DeSales University (Pennsylvania). Previously, he taught and conducted research at Harvard University for four years as a postdoctoral fellow and as Lecturer on the History of Science. During the 1995–1996 academic year, he was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a resident fellow at the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology.

Reviews

[Marvin]

An entertaining but informative collection of twentieth century case studies from psychiatric journals involving vampirism, lycanthropy, and demonic possession. The studies are from the 1960s through the 80s so they are a bit dated. However these are serious articles designed to explore the far reaches of human behavior. These are also well researched psychological treatises and not questionable "science" such as paranormal psychology or crypto-zoology. I like the study of clinical vampirism also known as Renfield Syndrome, a badly named disease as Renfield liked to eat insects and rodents, not just drink blood. There are also case studies of lycanthropy. While this is usually a person who thinks he is a dog there is one example of a man who thought he was a cat, a delusion that lasted 13 years. Another interesting essay discusses the rise of neuroses and psychosis involving demon possession after the release of the movie The Exorcist. Not the normal psychology book but one that would be an entertaining side trip for those readers into horror and dark fiction.

[Anthony]

An interesting analysis of several psychological case studies involving patients experiencing delusions of vampirism, lycanthropy or demonic possession. While sensational, Noll approaches the material as a professional.

[Christine Whittington]

Although I have no background as a clinical psychologist, I find the author's link between vampirism, lycanthropy, and demonic possession and multiple personality disorder fascintating.