Rudolf Hess as a patient and the political role of his psychiatrists
Rudolf Hess is the only leader of the Third Reich, who is still in prison. His role had been less important then his position as Hitlers deputy might suggest.
From a medical point of view he is an interesting case because of his being so closely watched by psychiatrists. Undertaking his spectacular flight to England in 1941, he brought about the end of his political- and the beginning of his psychiatric career.
A survey is given of his most prominent symptoms consisting of paranoid reactions, delusions and amnesia. Moreover the question is raised whether Hess was simulating. It is concluded, that Hess does confront us with the inadequacy of diagnostic classification in psychiatry. Finally some attention is paid to the roleconflict of the reporting psychiatrists. In analysing their behavior it appears that they sacrificed sometimes their independent judgment to political purposes.