Photo: flickr/Sara
To round out our week of BMJ Christmas Issue articles, here's a classic from 2004 in which a group of medical students attempt to diagnose Gollum's issues. After reasoning through a number of possible diagnoses, ranging from vitamin deficiency (also discussed elsewhere in the literature) to hyperthyroidism, they conclude that Gollum likely suffered from schizoid personality disorder. Good thing we finally straightened that out.
A precious case from Middle Earth. “Sméagol (Gollum) is a single, 587 year old, hobbit-like male of no fixed abode. He has presented with antisocial behaviour, increasing aggression, and preoccupation with the “one ring.”… …His forensic history consists of Deagol’s murder and the attempted murder of Samwise Gamgee. He has no history of substance misuse, although like many young hobbits he smoked “pipe weed” in adolescence. Sméagol has forgotten many memories of his childhood, and we have limited collateral history on his premorbid personality. ...
