Did Charles Manson ever get help for antisocial personality disorder?

Answer 1

Manson has seen his share of psychiatrists and psychologists. And one has only to listen to him speak for five minutes to realize he is not mentally stable. But personality disorders are not curable, which is where they deviate from true mental illness. An individual's personality is formed in the first five or six years in life. It is what it is, at that point, for the most part. It really is true that 'a leopard can't change his spots', and Manson is what he is. This does not mean to exclude mental illness. I believe at this point is his life he suffers from both. However, at the time of his crimes, he knew right from wrong, and in fact had the presence of mind to plan the murders, send others so he could not be held responsible, and lied considerably to worm his way out of a guilty verdict. According to the law a person can be mentally ill and still be guilty of a crime. So Manson's mental health did not interfer in his capacity to form, carry out, and coverup his crimes.

As an example of 'not guilty by reason of insanity', is Andrea Yates, the Texas housewife that one morning drowned all five of her small children in the bathtub of the family home. Although at her first trial she was found guilty and sentenced to death, her second trial got it right. Yates had a very long and well-documented history of mental illness who at the time prior to the murders was hospitalized several times and was experiencing audio and visual hallucinations. Her behavior backs this up. Unlike Manson who went to great lengths to avoid detection, Yates called police within minutes of the murders. She did not run, hide or lie to avoid punishment. Yates was so impaired by her illness it completely overrode all rational thought. Insane and not guilty.