I feel so sorry for this man.

Strange, isn't it, all these chemical balances or imbalances that affect our behaviour, or outlook on life anyway? My sister, when growing up, seemed to have a quite different view of our parents than the other four of us did, and it detrimentally affected her during her teenage years and early twenties. Her behaviour during those years also detrimentally affected the rest of us to a greater or lesser degree.

And yet, as a small child, she was the easy one, according to my mother. I've often wondered if Sis had rebelled as much as the rest of us did as a child whether she wouldn't have suffered and caused suffering later. On the other hand, my mother once said that she'd had to be crafty to avoid S having tantrums. I've often wondered if it would have been better, with hindsight, to let her have tantrums. Not that I'm criticising my mother's approach – she had four other kids (and herself!) to consider and probably didn't have the energy to cope with full blown tantrums. Who knows? I was never aware of any favouritism from either of my parents. I think they were very careful about things like that. In fact, I think they were pretty careful about everything.

People like the Naked Rambler do make you wonder what their background was, don't they, and what motivates them to behave with a determination that has such negative results, and such predictable negative results at that.

When, I am right in thinking that Severe Personality Disorders do not respond to treatment? Were extreme measures like lobotomies and electric convulsive therapy once tried? I find this subject extremely interesting and I consulted several web sites as I think it could explain something in my own family
I was particularly interested in the diagnosis of Childhood Paranoid Delusion Personality.

Greatnan they should explain that they are differentiating between Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (sane) and Severe and Enduring Mental Illness (mentally ill and therefore potentially treatable) in the case of Brevik and Brady. The children who killed Jamie Bulger were classified as neither insane nor personality disordered whilst they were growing up, although Venables is now considered to be PD, follwng his problems with rehabilitation. Thompson is getting on with his life anonymously.

To be honest when I think your post puts a bit of an unfavourable spin on the situation. It's most likely that the play area was simply on the route he was taking and it was probably other people who would not let him on his way past it without a fuss.

I think this article is very fair. here

Bags, I have been pondering what makes people do really evil acts, following the massacres in Norway and America. Ian Brady is classed as being mentally ill but the Norway killer has, I think, been declared sane.
At what stage does somebody's behaviour become so far from the norm of their tribe that they can be regarded as insane?
I watched a programme a few weeks ago in which a psychiatrist said there was some research (sorry I can't quote it) to show that the chemical make-up of some brains included a gene for criminality, but it usually only became dominant if the person were subject to abuse or neglect. This would certainly have been true for Brady and the boys who killed Jamie Bulger.
Even when murderers appear to have had a 'good' and stable childhood, we have no way of knowing the inner dynamics of the family relationships.

I have never felt the urge to hit anyone (at least, not physically) and I rarely even feel anger,although I may feel some righteous indignation when I read of cruelty and abuse. My sister, who is the kindest person you could hope to meet, used to suffer from 'red mist' rage and would hurl things around the room (she was always very good to me, though). Ostensibly, we had exactly the same upbringing, but I was the youngest and very much my mother's favourite whilst my sister suffered constant bullying from our older sister, who had her own demons.

Perhaps our path in life is the product of brain chemistry allied to our childhood experiences.

Mentally ill or not, he is certainly costing us taxpayers plenty!

Thanks for that info, when. That does put a different slant on his behaviour. I'm beginning to get the feeling he is just awkward and bloody-minded. Wonder what he gets out of spending so much time locked up though? I'm also beginning to wonder to what extent you have to be so completely bloody-minded that it is regarded as mentally ill.

Things are taking a serious turn. This man has been arrested three days after release because he refused to move away from the vicinty of a children's park, and would not cover himself up. I have no sympathy for him at all now, nor do I feel any need to respect his views. He is assessed as not being mentally ill, so does not need curing. He is a pest.

Elegran...you've been looking!

Nothing is worn, Jeni, everything is as good as new and in perfect working order (the old jokes never lie down)

I think those horrible child abuse cases fell down because of the ridiculous suggestion that an elderly vicar had pranced around naked at night in Orkney!

And what is worn under the kilt?

absent

And, let's face reality, anyone who walks around outside naked in Scotland for most of the year is daft. I make no apologies for thinking that, and neither would anyone else with any sense, or knowledge of the climate. clothes were invented to protect us in such climes. Rambler needs to get real.

Don't deliberately misunderstand me, jings darling! Of course I didn't mean that we only communicate and relate to others through superficial things, just that they are important and it's no good pretending otherwise.

Rambler is choosing to be repeatedly arrested and put in jail. There are simple actioins he could take to prevent it and then he could expend some of his undoubted energy trying get the law changed, perhaps. I guess that's what he thinks he's doing already. There – empathy.

Frankel I was definitely generalising and drawing on a stereotypical view of the sexes (stereotypes often have some truth in them).

Of course there are exceptions to any generalisation. However, Crimson's post is about women being safe to walk alone at night. Safe from whom we could ask ourselves?

Not a lot of advice to men on how to keep themselves safe from predatory women when walking home alone in the dark I notice.

This chap has somehow manoeuvred himself into a situation with no solution. Just because his organ is not (usually) erect, doesn't mean that it should be on view to the public, any more than a woman should be doing knickerless handstands in the park or walking down the road topless. It is not in any way similar to the breast feeding debate – providing nourishment to an infant being the breasts' primary function. The penis is for peeing and copulation – neither of those being spectator activities in my opinion – nor is a flaccid penis an edifying sight.

and sympathy, of course!

crimson,

I did read that a woman walking alone at night is much safer if she walks in a purposeful sort of way [and in the daytime too, I guess]. I think eye contact is not a good idea . I now try to hobble in a purposeful way.....

What a picture that conjures up! I bet it works, jingl!

If I see someone who looks threatening, I stand up straight, try to look hefty, and smile at them.

I'm asking for trouble, aren't I?

Well, we do, but have to overcome an initial reaction created by our appearance when we do speak. We can't judge everyone by them speaking to us because the majority of people don't speak to each other. And our survival as a species depends on making split second decisions about other creatures [including humans]. Haven't we all, when walking down a street crosed the road at some point in our lives when seeing someone in the distance who looks threatening? Or been surprised when we get into a conversation with someone and find them completely different to our initial view on them?

God help us if we can only communicate by dress and "other superficial things".

What happened to talking. And empathy?

I won't even mention compassion on here.

That's probably why my social life is well nigh non existent then....[better go to Dorothy Perkins with me credit card...]...