Clinical vampirism, also popularly known as Renfield Syndrome, is a psychological disorder related to an obsession with blood. This is a serious but rare disorder, about which there are few scientific studies.
People with this syndrome may have different symptoms, including an uncontrollable need to ingest blood, a desire to injure themselves and cut themselves to suck their own blood, always accompanied by great satisfaction or pleasure during or shortly after the ingestion of blood.
Major Psychological Problems Associated with Clinical Vampirism
Some of the main symptoms and needs that may indicate the presence of this disorder include:
- Need or uncontrollable obsession to drink blood;
- Willing to inflict cuts or wounds on oneself to suck blood, also known as self-vampirism;
- Willing to drink the blood of other people, alive or dead;
- Feeling of satisfaction or pleasure after or during the ingestion of blood;
- I like novels and literature about witchcraft, vampirism or terror in general;
- Obsession to kill small animals like birds, fish, cats and squirrels;
- Preference to stay awake at night.
Not all symptoms need to be present and often clinical vampirism is also associated with other disruptive behaviors, which may include psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, cannibalism, rape, and homicide.
How is the diagnosis made?
The diagnosis of this disorder can be made by the psychiatrist or psychologist, who identifies the presence of an obsession around the blood and human blood consumption.
In addition, the presence of psychosis, hallucinations and delusions, related to the blood or to vampires, fictional characters of immortal terror and surviving at the expense of blood ingestion are common.
However, this disorder can often be confused with other psychological illnesses, such as schizophrenia, for example, since there is little scientific research on clinical vampirism.
How it can be treated
Treatment for clinical vampirism generally includes hospital admission so that the patient can be followed up 24 hours a day as it can often pose a danger to himself and others.
In addition, treatment with drugs to control the associated psychoses, hallucinations or delusions, as well as daily psychotherapy sessions may be indicated.
While clinical vampirism is an actual term used to describe an obsessive relationship with blood, Renfield Syndrome was a term invented by a scientist to describe compulsive blood ingrowth, which is not scientifically recognized. This name was inspired by the novel by Bram Stoker's Dracula, where Renfield is a minor character in the novel, with psychological problems that maintains a telepathic connection and correspondence with the famous fictional character Count Dracula.
