British Maniac Patrick Mackay and the System’s Failure

Dangerous Misfit

Having learned no legitimate skills, Mackay tried and failed at a few jobs but nevertheless wanted to be independent of his mother.  (Around this same time, his sister was admitted to another institution after a psychotic breakdown that she blamed on him, so that made at least four members of the family of five who had a history of psychological imbalances.) 

Mackay moved in with friends in London and spent most of his time in a drunken state or on drugs.  He had tried to live with his mother and found that he could not, in part because she gave him grief about not paying for his board.  But he also had difficulty with everyone else with whom he tried to live, including his aunts and his friends.  Because of his moods, threats, and irresponsibility, they all ended up wanting him out.

Among the things that frightened others was Mackay's habit of building models of the Frankenstein monster from Mary Shelly's novel, sticking pins in it and burning out the eyes.  He continued to be fascinated with the Nazis, and would wear his homemade uniform, complete with an armband, and set about collecting Nazi books and memorabilia.  He was fascinated by the extermination of the Jews and worried about his own mixed blood.  Next to his bed, he kept a picture of Himmler.

Mackay in Nazi uniform

Having no particular long-term goals, he met sporadically with his case worker, who gave up attempting to set appointment times. He often lost his jobs.  At times, he burglarized homes to get some food, cigarettes, and money.  He had few friends, but then he met Father Crean.

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1. Unchecked Aggression
2. Quick Arrest
3. "Violentization"
4. Fascination with Death
5. Psychiatric Treatment
6. Poor Prognosis
7. "Switching on the Dark"
8. Dangerous Misfit
9. Befriending a Psychopath
10. A Time to Kill
11. Back at It
12. The Priest
13. In Custody
14. Assessment
15. "Poor Me"
16. Dangerousness
17. Bibliography