As I mentioned in the previous post, Micheal was labelled a CUU child - callous, unemotional, and uncaring. Here is the assessment used to diagnose this:
Calloussness:
I do not care who I hurt to get what I want.
I am not concerned about the feelings of others.
I do not care if I get into trouble.
I do not feel remorseful when I do something wrong.
I do not care if I do things well.
The feelings of others are unimportant to me.
I do not care about being on time.
I do not like to put the time into doing things well.
What I think is right and wrong is different from what other people think.
I do not let my feelings control me.
I seem very cold and uncaring to others.
Uncaring:
I never try my best.
I never work hard.
I don't apoligize to those I hurt.
I don't care about how well I do in school or at work.
I try to hurt other's feelings.
I don't do things to make others feel well.
I easily admit to being wrong.
I don't feel bad or guilty when I do something wrong.
Mary Beth Tinning. Everyone thought her to be a good mother until her children started dying off. Here's her story:
She had two children and was pregnant with another. She didn't seem to like the messy part of mothering: the cleaning, the crying, the dealing with the problems. She seemed only to care for the happy moments. It's like her babies were her play toys. One night, her son began crying and throwing Jell-O agaisnt the wall. It pushed her over the edge.
All the doctors were told was that she found him in his bed, not breathing. However, he seemed to be too old to die of SIDS. Everyone came swooping in trying to help Mary Beth and her husband, Joe, deal with the devastation that had just taken over their lives. Mary Beth liked the attention. Only two weeks after buring her son, her daughter was found the exact same way: not breathing in her bed, rushed to the hospital, pronounced dead.
Doctors began looking into reasons the children could be dying. They thought maybe it was some sort of genetic disease. After tons of testing, they found nothing. While police and others began to suspect Mary Beth, her husband could not believe she could've killed their kids.
She gave birth to her son and he, too, died the same way. After being advised not to get pregnant again, for fear that the children were dying from a genetic disorder, the couple celebrated a new pregnancy a year later. The pattern followed.
This kept happening until, finally, Mary Beth and Joe Tinning decided to adopt a child. After he died the exact same way, suddenly the possibility of a genetic disorder was gone. Still, husband Joe stuck by her side.
She also attempted to poison her husband. He ended up in the hospital. The doctors thought it was an overdose until he was questioned. He admitted that he thought Mary Beth tried to poison him but it didn't matter. He said, "You have to believe the wife."
Mary Beth and Joe got pregnant once more, thirteen years later. Tami Lynne - their last child - died the same way.
Finally, Mary Beth confessed to smothering Tami Lynne. She was convicted and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Husabnd Joe continues to stick by her side, promising to provide a home for her if and when she gets released from prison. She is now eligiable for parole. Although she's filed, she has been denied thus far.
Nine dead children later - Jennifer, Joesph Jr., Barbra, Timothy, Nathan, Mary Frances, Jonathan, Micheal, and Tami Lynne - she is diagnosed with the most extreme case of Munchausen by proxy.
Often, people who commit violent crimes are suffering from one mental illness or another. It is typically one of the first things people think of. Do we really know what mental disorders they are though? Here's a list of mental disorders that are commonly catalysts behind violent crimes. The ones that are in bold are found more often.
Anxiety disorders
anxiety due to a general medical condition
substance-induced anxiety
generalized anxiety disorder
panic disorder
acute stress disorder
post-traumatic stress disorder
adjustment disorder
obsessive-compulsive disorder
social phobia
Delirium
Delusional disorder
Dementia
Impulsive control disorders
Intoxication or withdrawal from medications or drugs
Mood disorders
Major Depression
Anxiety Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Personality Disorders
Anti-social Personality disorder
Autism
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizophrenia
Substance dependence and abuse
Traumatic brain injury
Keep in mind though that people do not commit these crimes because they have the disorders. There is always more to it. The scary thing is that most of us could look at this list and pick out more than one disorder that we ourselves have. Just looking at this list, I myself have four of these disorders!
