Clinical vampirism: a review and illustrative case report

Abstract

This paper aims to review the phenomenology of vampirism and the various forms of its expression including its presentation in the psychopathology of psychotic disorders. We will explore in detail the case of an African vampire in a psychiatric clinical setting. Vampirism does not have roots in traditional African culture or folklore and thus this case is worth examining due to the unusual nature of the patient's clinical presentation. After a review of the literature, both lay and professional, a clinical case will be described. The discussion will suggest a biopsychosocial and contemporary psychoanalytic understanding of vampirism, and more specifically, of this patient. We also propose an additional type of vampirism be considered for inclusion in the classification of clinical vampirism.

South African Psychiatry Review Vol. 9(3) 2006: 163-168