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Halloween Character Case Files
If you've decided to dress as a scary, creepy character this Halloween, you're likely to have plenty of company. Witches, zombies, ghouls, vampires and werewolves are perennial favorites of young and old alike.
You should also know, however, that most of these characters have medical and psychological "baggage," say the handful of experts who study them.
So don't just take along a vial of blood or some magic potion to make your character more believable. Find out the possible medical and psychological reasons that may have made them so frightening in the first place. But beware: Even the experts disagree on the truth surrounding some of the creepiest Halloween characters.
You should also know, however, that most of these characters have medical and psychological "baggage," say the handful of experts who study them.
So don't just take along a vial of blood or some magic potion to make your character more believable. Find out the possible medical and psychological reasons that may have made them so frightening in the first place. But beware: Even the experts disagree on the truth surrounding some of the creepiest Halloween characters.
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SOURCES: Daniel Lapin, PhD, clinical psychologist, San Francisco. James D. Adams, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Barbara Almond, MD, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis, San Francisco. Stanley Krippner, PhD, professor of psychology, Saybrook Graduate School, San Francisco; author, The Vampire, Dracula, and Incest.
Reviewed on October 25, 2007 by Louise Chang, MD.
© 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.
