Customer Reviews

Fatal Analysis

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

The closest this comes to being a non-fiction work is if you could pass it off as "docu-drama." And even then, it would be a pathetic excuse for docu-drama.

The supposedly "ethical" headshrinker does things like:

1. Fail to pursue commitment for a patient who is clearly a danger to others. 2. Fail to call the police and report a kidnapping and assault committed on the woman he supposedly loves by a patient who has been stalking her. 3. Brings a dangerous and unpredictable patient into a therapy group and unleashes him on the hapless patients who trusted him to provide them with a safe environment.

He also interferes with a police investigation of brutal serial murders.

All this is supposedly in the name of "professional ethics."

The author also misrepresents the idea of patient confidentiality. Professionals who are working with the same patient get releases all the time to discuss their findings with one another. There's nothing the least bit unusual or ethical about it. In fact, it's standard oprating procedure when taking on a new patient to request releases to get his records from anybody else who has treated or assessed him.

The author is clearly hoping that he can bamboozle the reading public behind a phony wall of professional mystique.

If this story is true, the author belongs in prison as an accessory to murder, and should be drummed out of the profession for inexcusably putting his ego ahead of his responsibilities to the patient and to the public.

While it is extremely questionable that this book is non-fiction, it manages to fail either way. If it is, indeed a true account, the author's "ethical and moral dilemma" is the result of his own fuzzy morals. He is content to chat weekly with a man who appears to be killing folks in his spare time, that is, between "therapy sessions" with Dr. Obler. His overconcern with patient confidentiality and "loyalty to his patient", overide the long standing requirement that therapists have to report such knowledge. Not until the probable killer seems to be focusing on the good doctor's family does Obler suddendly decide to reconsider his ego-driven moral stance. By then, numerous people have perhaps needlessly died, at the hands of a monster. If this is a work of fiction, instead of "A true story of professional privilage and serial murder", as advertised on the book jacket, then it is contrived and sappy. It contains such laughable content as, "a steel edge in my voice" and "I gave him an approving smile", which underline the need Dr. Obler has to embellish his standing and status in the field. This from a therapist who passively conspires with a sick patient, while striking up a romance with another patient who came to group therapy to save a relationship. All in all, though, it may be worth it to purchase this book, especially for aspiring writers or therapists. It is good primer as far as technical and ethical pitfalls that should be avoided if one is to be succesful and honest.

Dr. Obler comes off as condescending even though he's not a very astute judge of character and apparently has some codependency issues. He's not at all suspicious when a charming weasel of a colleague calls to pawn off a suspected serial killer patient. Instead Obler has such faith in his skills (keep in mind there is no cure for psychopathy) that he eagerly takes up the challenge.

It was very frustrating to read this warped incoherent account. From the background descriptions the story seems to shift decades every now and then. Despite glaring evidence Obler just can't be sure that his patient, Devon, is "really" a serial killer. Obler becomes obsessed with their "relationship." Devon it becomes his raison d'etre. Obler sits back and watches with what appears to be depraved indifference, or schadenfreude, as Devon commits one murder after another. Obler's only concern seems to be getting inside Devon's head and learning how to win his respect. Obler continues to use the excuse of his doctor-patient confidentiality for not turning in his favorite patient, his alter ego. In fact, such is the doc's affinity for Devon that even when he starts accosting and threatening the doc's family he still can't bring himself to make that anonymous call to the police or have one of his family members do it, since they're not bound by any confidentiality rules.

It appears that the hackneyed detective (i.e. she's beautiful but tough as nails GAG!) also suffers from room temp IQ syndrome. When Obler comes to her like a schoolboy asking; "just suppose the killer really were a patient of mine?" she manages to figure it out. Well, who wouldn't? She gets in his face and confronts him, which probably wasn't a bright idea given Obler's protectiveness of his patient. Sidekick, Obler of course sticks to his "confidentiality" guns and doesn't dare rat out his murderous patient. It never occurs to our hard boiled detective gal that since she has a basic description of the guy all she has to do is have someone stake out the doc's office to find this guy.

In the end we witness the doc's righteous indignation when the police finally arrest the wrong man. Well, actually his concern appears not to be that the wrong man is going to prison or that several people were murdered with his with his passive complicity but the realization that now he'll never get rid of Devon. At this point the honeymoon stage of the relationship (the excitement and thrill of the mystery killings) has worn off and Dev has become a real pest.

If you are looking for a good psychodrama novel to read I suggest William March's The Bad Seed (not the movie) or some Dean Koontz novels. I also recommend (non-fiction) Without Conscience: the disturbing world of the psychopaths among us by psychologist Robert D. Hare.

I just finished reading Fatal Analysis. I am an PhD Candidate in Counseling and have been studying forensic psychology on my own for quite some time. Dr. Obler's story certainly appears to me to be fiction. I hope so. His "ethical issues", while they must be recognized, are certainly not meant to straight jacket our own common sense. A creative shrink can always find an indirect way to pass on life preserving information. As for his relationship with his "girlfriend", our ethical standard is to never date or have a sexual relationship with a client past, present, or future. If a professional counselor chooses to after therapy has been terminated, the standard waiting time is no less than two years. But again, it is strongly discouraged for many reasons, primarily for the mental health of the ex-client. In addition, what is his motive to now come forward and admit all this? I see no other rationale except financial gain. And for anyone who has done any serious study in forensic psychology (and I'm the first to admit I'm not specialized but I am not without substantial education in that field), the current understanding supported by masses of major research is that the type of sadistic sex killer Obler describes cannot be controlled outside of confinement or death. They are, in fact, the worst of the worst. If this story is true, which I doubt, I have absolutely no doubt that the soda pop slasher has killed many times since his last confrontation with Dr. Obler.

Let me get this straight--Dr. Obler allowed his patient to threaten his children, stalk and break into his fiancee's apartment, exposed his other patients to a serial killer in group therapy and he wants to be the HERO of this tale? Please! Most ludicrous of all is that he expects readers to believe he somehow convinced a vicious psychopath to stop misbehaving and become a lawyer! How did this book get a non-fiction classification? If this book is even half true, than Dr. Obler needs, at the very least, to have his license revoked. At most, he needs to be prosecuted for obstruction of justice. He also owes an explanation to the families of all the victims that were murdered while he was protecting his professional reputation.

I agree with all of the points made in Christina Dunigan's review above and would only like to add the following:
1. In addition to the other ethical violations articulated, the protagonist of the book casually mentions that he met his present girlfriend when she and her then fiancee came to him for treatment in connection with a sexual problem. Somehow, she ends up dumping the fiancee and dating the therapist. If this is really "non-fiction," the New York Medical Ethics Board should look into the facts of that matter as well.
2. The protagonist's belief that the therapist/patient privilege would be sufficient to quash a subpoena for his records is not credible. After the therapist discloses to the police that he knew that the slasher's female victims had their vaginas sewed with surgical thread, any judge who wanted to stay on the bench would have compelled the therapist to disclose the name of the patient who disclosed that information to him.
3. How is it exactly that the therapist reasons that it would be an ethical violation to disclose the identity of a serial murderer/rapist/kidnapper to the authorities, but it there is no dilemma involved in writing a book about the entire matter for his own financial gain? Perhaps this is addressed in the later chapters of the book -- I had to stop reading when the protagonist failed to report his girlfriend's kidnapping to the police.
... The ONLY reason I bought it is that it purported to be a non-ficition or true story. It's too implausible even for fiction.

I was attracted to this book for its alledged non-fiction psychological slant to serial murder. Instead I got a fictional hero who was neither the self proclaimed keeper of all professional ethics nor a brave hero. It was a semi thriller but not credible. This doc not only kept his therapy confidential, but allowed disturbing criminal behavior to occur before his eyes and to his most beloved people. Beyond believe. Call it fiction and leave it at that. Illogical fiction but totally fiction. Check the book out of the Library and leave it at that.

I cannot imagine that this stuff really happened-- and if it's pure fiction, it is not very good. Is this, perhaps, a new marketing ploy? Take a third-rate novel and claim it's true to attract readers?

If you believe this book, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. How could the good doctor parade his ignorance before the public like this? He keeps getting dumber and dumber as the story progresses. I think Devon actually killed him and took his place.

As a person with a Master's Degree in Forensic Psychology, and who has worked with several violent offenders, I am greatly disturbed by Dr. Obler's book. His ultimate decision to sacrifice innocent victims rather than risk his career is morally reprehensible. Certainly it is more repugnant to allow a murderous psychopath to remain in sociey than to break doctor-patient confidentiality. My suggestion to Dr. Obler would be to research the Tarasoff case, where the Supreme Court ruled that if a therapist reasonably believes or should have reasonably believed that the patient is going to kill someone, he/she has a DUTY to report what the patient has discussed with him or her.

My hope is that this story was just sensationalized for publication. If this is the standard moral caliber of forensic psychologists, who make decisions regarding whether a person is dangerous to society, I think I might consider pursuing another career.