What in the world ails Vladimir Putin? Putin’s bloated appearance, pale skin, rambling, apocalyptic speeches, and his chilling threat of “consequences greater than any you have faced in history” – have made the world wonder what’s in his cold heart and twisted mind. Increasingly, people are saying, “Something is off,” he’s changed, unhinged, disconnected from […]
What in the world ails Vladimir Putin?
Putin’s bloated appearance, pale skin, rambling, apocalyptic speeches, and his chilling threat of "consequences greater than any you have faced in history" – have made the world wonder what’s in his cold heart and twisted mind. Increasingly, people are saying, “Something is off,” he’s changed, unhinged, disconnected from reality, indeed, a “madman.”
As a psychoanalytically-oriented psychiatrist, I’ve put Vladimir on my couch (metaphorically speaking), delved into his psyche and… it doesn’t bode well for an end to war, especially if Biden is going to keep baiting him instead of being more psychologically astute about how he relates to him. To understand who someone is, we have to go back to their childhood, and Vladimir’s was rife with mind-twisting traumas that don’t excuse, but do explain, who he is today. Everything Putin has become is a reflection of his promise to himself as a child, never to be vulnerable again.
Vladimir Putin was born on October 7, 1952 in war-torn Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Putin’s father fought in the war and was left with a limp, a constant reminder to his son-perhaps of bravery, but also of fragility. His mother once fainted from hunger, and townspeople, thinking she was dead, laid her out with the corpses, until she woke up. World War II also left psychological scars on his parents that taught him the world is a dangerous place.
He was their third son, born after two older brothers had already died.
So, he was considered a ‘miracle baby’ and had both the good fortune to be spoiled by his parents to the extent they could, and the misfortune to have the weight of all their expectations thrust upon him. Treating him like their ‘king’ gave him a sense of entitlement. But, the harsh realities of war and post-war made it difficult for his parents to show warmth and love. A photo of Vladimir, aged 5, on his mother’s lap, says it all. Looking off vacantly, she has one arm stiffly around him, his arms and legs crossed as if trying to protect himself, and his eyes looking up at the camera in a fearful, distrusting way.
Indeed, he is unsmiling in all of his photos – from childhood on. Pouting, moody, his eyes seem to hold unspeakable secrets. Haunted by his fears of vulnerability, he became obsessed with presenting an intimidating image, from trendy leather jackets as a teen to macho poses of him fishing, hunting and riding horses bare-chested as an adult.
His childhood communal home was literally cold, with no hot water, no bathtub, nor other basic amenities. His parents worked around the clock, in factories and unskilled jobs, so he was left to take care of himself, as a street kid. Small for his age, and a bit odd, he was bullied, until he learned martial arts and could fight back. He’s said, the “street taught me a rule: if a fight is inevitable, you have to throw the first punch.” He apparently recalled this rule when his paranoid projections about Ukraine made him send the first troops.
Putin’s first war was against the rats that infested his dreary home. He’s written about how he used to chase rats with sticks, and once drove a particularly huge rat into a corner. Little Putin was thrilled it was now his prey to kill, until the rat suddenly threw itself at him, terrifying him. He barely managed to slam the door on its nose, but “got a quick and lasting lesson in the meaning of the word cornered.” No doubt, this is affecting his current decisions on the brink of World War III, as a paranoid Putin sees rats on all sides of him.
Psychiatric Problems
Putin’s childhood - with signs of death and destruction all around him – caused him to develop a Paranoid Personality Disorder. Already a germaphobe, the pandemic, caused him to withdraw and marinate in his own memories, thoughts and fears – exacerbating his underlying paranoia. Unconsciously, this paranoia grew from fear of Coronavirus attacking him to fear of rogue parts of the USSR attacking him.
Putin’s manipulation of Russian rules has allowed him to stay in power for years, bringing about Hubris Syndrome, where one starts believing their own PR. He’s become overly confident of his own judgment and dismissive of others’ advice, leading to recklessness and rash decisions. Power has gone to his head.
On top of this, more than ever, Putin is forced to confront his own mortality. He’s 69 years old, one year before a dreaded milestone birthday, and two years shy of the life expectancy of a Russian male. The clock is ticking ever louder for him to leave his mark on the world. His dream to put the USSR back together, seems like it’s slipping away, so, he feels it’s now or never.
One cannot rule out the possibility of his being afflicted by more serious psychiatric diagnoses, such as a paranoid psychosis, but so far, he’s managed to hide such symptoms. Hopefully, he’s not having command hallucinations, telling him, “Psst, Vlad, push the button,” or we are all doomed.
Medical Problems
Though there’s no official word that Putin ever had Covid19, there’s speculation it could be contributing to his mental condition. Agitation, brain fog, confusion and delirium have been attributed to changes in his brain. There have long been rumors of cancer – spinal cord or pancreas - and his gunslinger’s gait has given rise to speculation about Parkinson’s.
What do you get when you cross a Paranoid Putin with a Demented Biden?
Nuclear war? At least one can hope that Congress will take action on Biden before it’s too late, but there’s nobody in Russia who can make Putin lay down his nuclear weapons because, in his mind, it’s still him against the world, just like it was as a boy. Ever since Putin was left to wander his impoverished, rat-infested neighborhood, threatened by schoolyard bullies, he’s made good on his promise to himself: never to be that vulnerable again. To fight the pain of his impoverished youth, his ill-gotten gains have furnished Putin’s Palace with gold-plated toilet seats. And from martial arts for schoolyard bullies to nuclear weapons for ‘rogue’ countries, he’s armed himself against all perceived enemies. So, Biden’s personal attacks and threats will only provoke Putin’s defensive retaliation. Backing him into a corner won’t work because his childhood encounter with the rat is still vivid in his memory, and it taught him to do the unexpected… with possible ‘consequences greater than any we have faced in history’.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, M.D., M.P.H., known worldwide as America’s Psychiatrist, is the host of Dr. Carole’s Couch on VoiceAmerica.com, and The Terrorist Therapist® Podcast. She is a forensic psychiatrist/expert witness, bestselling-award-winning author of four books—two on terrorism and two on relationships.
