Joseph Stalin as Paranoid Schizophrenic in Therapy

Joseph Stalin

It is difficult to count how many millions of deaths Joseph Stalin was responsible for, but the fact that this figure is in the millions is not in doubt (Cavendish, 2003). Up until the twilight of his life, when he was in his seventies and approaching his own death, his subordinates continued to carry out his murderous orders.

Stalin was paranoid and in his later years he suffered from arteriosclerosis. There is a theory that this may have aggravated his temper, which became worse as he grew older. His doctor, Vladimir Vinogradov, noticed a significant decline in Stalin's health early in 1952. When he suggested that the dictator start to relax, the patient flew into a furious rage and had him arrested.

Several other doctors were arrested in 1952 (Cavendish, 2003). Some of them were Jewish and newspaper tirades against "murderers in white gowns" provoked widespread rumors about a medical conspiracy. There were whispers of babies killed in maternity wards and patients being killed with poisoned medicines. In January 1953, the Tass press agency reported the arrest of nine members of 'a criminal group of murderous doctors, accused of killing prominent Soviet figures. Six of the nine were Jews. More doctors were arrested and although many of them were not Jewish, there was an outbreak of anti-Semitism and Jews were hassled in the streets. During this time, Stalin was considering a plan to deport all Soviet Jews to Siberia.

Stalin was driven by one overpowering fear; future attack of his western border. His collection of Eastern European states served as a barrier and became known as the Iron Curtain (Hyde, 1971). This isolationist behavior and expansion of Communist control are believed by most, to have started the Cold War. Stalin displaced about 1.5 million non-Russian occupants of the new Soviet republics. Most were Muslims labeled as Nazi sympathizers and, as a result, were a direct threat to the Soviet Union. Many perceived minorities from the Crimea, Caucasus, Bulgaria, Armenia and so on, were gathered and hauled off to Siberia. The official justifications for these deportations were alleged collaboration with their former Nazi oppressors and resistance to Soviet control.

Stalin's late years were spent in increasing paranoia and poor health. It is apparent that he was gearing up for another elimination of the leading citizen classes of the Soviet Union (Raack, 1995). In January 1953, he ordered the arrest of many Moscow doctors, mainly Jews, charging them with medical assassinations. What may have been another massacre was avoided by Stalin's sudden and strange death on March 5, 1953. After his death and the end of his reign of terror, Stalin's name and regime were widely criticized by the Soviet authorities and citizens. He is remembered as a terrorist against his own people and the cause of countless human rights crimes.

Supporters of Stalin believe he saved his country from certain European domination; that the lives lost and ruined were necessary casualties for the greater good of the nation. Others say that he was a paranoid schizophrenic that belonged in a mental institution, rather than in a position of power. Stalin showed mercy to no one, he evil incarnate, killing innocent Russians and severely damaging any possible of future progress for Russia. In this light, it appears that the latter theory is true.

D. Jablow Hershman and Julian Lieb (1994), in "A Brotherhood of Tyrants: Manic Depression and Absolute Power," revealed several case files on paranoid schizophrenics, including Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. The "case files" read like a clinician's worst nightmare: "raging tempers, manic highs, grandiose and psychotic delusions, paranoia, extravagantly reckless behavior, gloomy depression, and contemptuous disregard for others - and this was when they were just kids." If Hitler and Stalin were born at slightly different times and circumstances, they would have been hospitalized and never heard from again, but unfortunately these men were born in a time of top-to-bottom social upheaval.

Hitler's own personal physician diagnosed him as manic-depressive. As a young man, he tried to commit suicide. In a manic moment, he made a premature bid for power but depression halted him at the crucial hour. His illness made him delusional. As a result, he lost an army in North Africa and committed the fatal error of waging a winter campaign in Russia. Hitler was no military genius, and his units paid in full measure.

Hitler's adversary, Joseph Stalin, was equally incompetent and delusional, with both preferring to lose thousands of troops in single battles to listening to their knowledgeable generals. The two dictators shared a psychotic paranoia that resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of innocents. Stalin's crimes against his own people and against ethnic minorities equaled or surpassed Hitler's Holocaust. When war broke out, Stalin entered a prolonged depression that left the country leaderless as the armies of Germany advanced virtually unopposed to Moscow.

A modern understanding of mental illness enables researchers to analyze the mind of Stalin in ways that have previously eluded earlier biographers and historians. It is obvious that this ruthless leader was a classic sociopath, as well. Human lives meant nothing to him as he lied and cheated and murdered his way to power. When tens of millions more were later lost in pursuit of his individual glory, he felt no remorse. This man should have been treated as a sociopath or paranoid schizophrenic, both of which are antisocial personality disorders.

The DSM-IV lists seven criteria for antisocial personality disorder (Herlz et al., 1997):

Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest

Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure

Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

Reckless disregard for safety of self or others

Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations