On the therapy-psychiatry business in Hannibal
It puts me in a fit of contemplation whether or not Hannibal Lecter actually helped anyone with their emotional and mental proclivities.
Hannibal demonstrates extraordinary clinical acumen, which apparently coexists with psychopathy of satanic proportions. It's safe to say that during his imprisonment, he continued to write, publish, and receive positive reviews for his works. For good measure, during that time, psychiatry students and practicing physicians wrote to him with papers and theories for him to comment on.
He was regarded as one of the leading experts on the subject of addiction to plastic surgery and had a great deal of influence. Regarding his patients, I believe he was a threat to those who somehow piqued his interest and only marginally effective for those for whom he cared for.
But it's him who convinces the suicidal person to channel their thoughts toward killing others. It's him who counsels the individual struggling with inner demons to talk to them, be open with them, and hear what they have to say. Afterwards, they end up using lobotomy to create a human beehive or skinning someone and dressing them in a people suit.
By its very nature, therapy involves great vulnerability—sharing your deepest secrets with a professional who has studied mental health and psychology. Truly that Doctor Hannibal Lecter is on the bottom list of people you'd want to be vulnerable to.
The man is an exceptional psychiatrist in terms of skill after all, but definitely not the safest psychiatrist out there.
