Did the Zodiac Killer have psychiatric problems?

Answer 1

Yes, but not like what you might think. Most killers like this have what it known as a personality disorder, unlike a mental illness. Although sometimes they may have both, they remain functional and able to carry out muders and are able to stay at least 1 step ahead of the law, at least for a while. Truely mentally ill people have a problem coping with the world on a daily basis, and to accomplish serial murder a person needs all his wits about him or he will be caught early on.

This does not mean that they are normal. They are not. The big difference between mental illnes and a personality disorder is treatability. Many mental illnesses can be helped and managed with the right drugs and therapy, whereas a personality disorder is not fixable. You can't 'get over it', nor is there any medicine at present to treat personality disorders. Basically, a person's personality is what it is, and after a certain age (3 to 5 most experts think) it is pretty much set in stone. This does not mean that a serial killer can't stop himself. They can but just don't wish to.