The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Psychiatrists are aware that there exists a behavior known as "clinical vampirism," which is a syndrome involving the delusion of actually being a vampire and feeling the need for blood. This arises not from fiction and film but from the erotic attraction to blood and the idea that it conveys certain powers, although the actual manifestation of the fantasy may be influenced by fiction. It develops through fantasies involving sexual excitement.

Psychologist Richard Noll, author of Bizarre Diseases of the Mind, says that the clinical cases have a lot in common with the behavior of a character from Dracula named Renfield. He's a mental patient who eats spiders and flies because he craves their life force. He suggests the clinical vampirism be renamed Renfield's Syndrome. Noting that people who suffer from this condition are primarily male, he identifies a specific set of stages."The first stage," Noll explains, "is some event that happens before puberty where the child is excited in a sexual way by some event that involves blood injury or the ingestion of blood. At puberty it becomes fused with sexual fantasies, and the typical person with Renfield Syndrome begins with autovampirism. That is, they begin to drink their own blood and then move on to other living creatures. That's what we know from the few cases we have on record. It has fetishistic and compulsive components."
http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/vampires/7.html
My question is, Is this what every vampire has been through? Do you believe it is a need for blood and lust or a lifestyle?

To me personally i think blood is a Lust and a Lifestyle... I dont think anyone really needs it to survive, sustaine life...

Very interesting indeed.

Again I think this and many other syndromes have a part to play. I would suggest however that this syndrome in particular has little to do with historic accounts but may have a much larger role in current society.

Peronaly I think you have those who are vampires and those who aren't. Some of those who aren't may very well have this.

If a normal human being consumes more than a pint of blood orally that person WILL get sick, I dont care who you are. I've never heard of this "syndrome" but I think it's just some public B.S.

I have heard of this before but seriously doubt that anyone would seriously believe that they had such a ridiculous disease.

Interesting indeed .. I dont have this Disease and i believe what i believe Its a Lifestyle to me and a Inner Belief I was awakened to and It makes me who i am

For most it is lust and a lifestyle choice, but it all depends on the person. Some have this and soem don't. Carpe Noctem

mmmm, lust for blood... life style.... a little bit of both... is that lust that drive us to the life style, because we deside that the blood and lust is part of us, and we whant it no matter what, so we change our life

I have never heard of it before , but yes the Lust Yes and the Biting yes the lifestyle that I agree with. Its all in the persons make up and what they choose I guess.

The act for lust and lifestyle and even blood can be called many things not necessarilly related to vampires.
If you use that criteria, then everyone who practises BDSM or other types of 'kinky' behaviour must be vampires too!

I am not a vampire but I doubt greatly that everyone who says that they are is suffering from that sort of mental disorder. While blood fetishism is recognised, I believe vampirism as we see it is both a lust, and a need. The lifestyle choice is just an added extra, stage dressing if you like. (by lifestyle choice I'm referring to sleeping in coffins, etc etc).

I beleive the thread you started, is perfectly rationalising, what is going on, in the matter of fact.


I beleive that it is, with numerous ppl, a dementia, only.


On the other hand, if they want that kind of lifestyle, than ok, as long as one is aware what reallty is. As long as they dont hurt others, or them selfes.


A violent lifestyle wont help no one in becoming a real vampire.

Some other higher means need to be applied.

Those are perhapse not so availible for the todays world.

funny you should say that bloodlife - have you noticed how many people on this site are really into BDSM?

Well yea, I mean they go hand in hand. We all know that the neck is very sensual - coincidence?!?!! I don't think so.

It's not a ridiculous desease. I believe it totally. I'm sure it's very rare though.

When a kid at a young age gets molested, when he gets older, he usually turns into the molester.

Whats so different about that mental state

that is so rare as to nominal. Very few abused become asuders.. and I hardly think that's what was being talked of!
..
but back to the thread issue, I kno wof three women, who are trull obessed by their attraction to and need for blood.
..
so much for theories.

I agree with my Coven sister, Drakontion. I do not believe that everyone that claims to be a vampire suffers, per say from this type of mental disorder. It is a lust and a lifestyle.

I'm with RottenToTheCore, I think it is all bull****

Politicians and naysayers trying to give the people their daily dose of crap

I'm sure the condition is quite real however I don't think that everyone who claims to be a vampire suffers from it. That's kind of like saying that everyone who wants to own their own company has megalomania... bit of hyperbole.

Hmmm, sounds a little quackish... Sounds more like paranoid delusions.

here is another paragraph that i found if any one is interested..

Renfield Syndrome

I think that the disorder does exist for some but not for people who are real vampires but for people who think they are in the stages of being turned. In most cultures blood is considered the life force so there is a great attraction to it as a force to sustain life as well as be the force in others. I do think there are real vampires and other kin but do believe there are to many who do have the mental issue as well.

My first thought upon reading this is that the clinical designation completely ignored the obsequious, groveling aspect of the fictional Renfield, which is far more interesting to me than the bloodlust.

Renfield was Dracula's pet.

well for me i dont believe in the syndrome. most doctors try to put everyone and everything in a syndrome of some sort just to make them look better. mostly because they dont know what is really going on with people. if they dont believe in something then it doesnt exist to them.

Everything gets compartamentalized until someone realizes they've mislabelled something entirely. It's the folly of science. Nature's quid pro quo LOL

Hmm, another 'scientific breakthrough' or just another loony validating his paycheck?

i believe that ppl that are obcessed with blood drinking want to be immortal we all want to live forever and blood is a lifeforce as long as one is an adult and is based on reality i say go ahead drink dont drink to much because it will make u sick but the problem is real some want to be vampires because of immortality and i believe that is a human ideation

I have heard of this disease and I do believe that some people can deliude themselves into believing that they are, in fact, vampires, and that they must have blood to sustain them. It's a mental illness, and a traditional "sexual arousal from childhood," that would make Freud proud.

there are lots o these type conditions in medical texts...interesting but i dont see how relavent due to the rareity of most of them is misicule

I say that's not a mental disorder, its just a fetish. as long as its not against someone's will I don't think it's a problem. People are into different stuff, there are a hell of a lot of people that have always been excited by blood.

this may help http://www.angelfire.com/home/darkrealms/ren.html
i think it is a personal want not nessierily a need .

Thank you for your input. The first time I heard of it was when I was doing research on serial killers and there was a guy who had been released from a mental institution back in the 70's. He would then kill his victims and drain there blood and drink it. In the hospital he killed birds and did the same thing.
I think humans try to always find an answer for the things that we don't understand. And if we do not understand it, we make names and stories.

I agree, sarajean, if we don;t know what's going on -- we slap on a temporary label and hope no one notices that we pulled the definition from the tucchus.
There are many instances of people having bloodlust -- I still don;t find that to be a corollation to this Renfield Syndrome... There is actually a book out now that is entirely about Renfield and his fall into insanity as he worked for Dracula. I'll confirm the title and get back to y'all. It's in paperback...

There are people out there with serious mental illness.....I think that a bloodlust, as a sexual thing isn't a mental illness...as long as it's consentual and doesn't take over the person's life...

Most mental illnesses aren't diagnosed unless the illness takes over a person's life. Take, for example, nymphomania. Someone can like a lot of sex, but not be a nymphomaniac. One is only diagnosed as such, if it interrupts normal daily life.

Well that's the point, understanding boundaries. When does the line get crossed? If we are incapable of taking responsibility for severe actions then we are somehow ill.

that was very informative but I do have one question though what about those who are not mentally ill and still crave blood?

i dont believe we should put names on what people do for there way of life. if people want to drink blood so be it. we should try to understand them and execpt them with out these kinds of names

Blood and Sex just do it for me O.o

well it sounds like some BS to me, yet that is just one persons opinion or several ...

I dont think it's correct. There are many different explanations. I chose not to belive this one...

This is the first time I have heard of this syndrome and may explain why some truly believe they are a vampire right out of a novel. I am sure others are just role playing , trying to fit in or mentally unbalanced in other ways.