Bobby's Psychological Problems
Does anyone know if Bobby's psychological problems could have been treated with medication? Bobby probably would have refused to to take anything but I'm just curious if his problems were clinically treatable.
shareI don't think anyone can say for sure. There are definitely medications available for whatever psyschosis he had, but there is a lot of variation from person to person as to how well they respond. As you note, getting him to comply with taking it would be another problem.
shareSure, but it definitely would have affected his chess. No doubt in my mind.
Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go.
Not if he was an Aspergers savant, which is what I believe he was.
shareNot necessarily. He was way too functional to be one. Remember, his mother was a number and she was watched by FBI, so all of the Fischer's paranoia was warranted. I think his challenges were mostly of extrinsic nature. His insanity is quite debatable.
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There are high functioning autistic savants, they are just very rare (>1% of people with autism). ALL of Fischer's paranoia was warrented? Hmmm.
shareHello, they Kissinger give him a call to actually go there and play?!
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Is that a question or a statement? If true, it would mean nothing. Kissinger was long retired at the time of the 1992 Montenegro/Belgrade rematch with Spassky.
Paranoia is also a symptom in high functioning Aspergers adults.
AFAIR Kissinger phoned Fischer to coerce him to go to Iceland for the first Spassky match.
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I see. Was there anything controversial about the first Spassky match? The outcome of which made Bobby Fischer a world famous celebrity, and was no doubt the happiest time of his life.
shareYou see you really have to walk in this guy's shoes. His mother was followed, she was a commie, he was under constant surveillance himself after it became clear he's playing with a Russian. He also was a whiz kid. It's pretty obvious, I don't know why you want to pretend you don't understand.
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You also need to take into account his level of thinking. Paranoia is a symptom of a lot of different things. That doesn't strengthen your concept that he was autistic. You seem more willing to accept that a savant is capable of his accomplishments than a person with a mental illness.
Some of his paranoia was real. He was closely scrutinized because he was his mother's son. Most of it was imagined. You feel that much of it was unjustified. Either way, it points towards a diagnosis of either undifferentiated or paranoid schizophrenia. With that sort of intelligence, he may have felt alone. How bored would he be in conversations with individuals who can't possibly grasp what he is thinking? That kind of isolation would worsen his symptoms, especially with age.
A savant could never reach the level of a Magnus Carlsen or Garry Kasparov. But a person with the potential to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, as long as it isn't catatonic, (and he didn't seem to be of the disorganized type) is more than just capable. It's a logical explanation for his struggles, throughout his life. And that his genius was closer to madness than some realize.
He learned that his father was not his real father, and/or he wasn't allowed/he couldn't meet his biological father, and/or his father all of sudden had died, and they hadn't told him, or it wasn't true but tha't is what they said.
His mother left for Europe to study, leaving him alone in his and hers appartment (Brooklyn?).
The valid and logic questions of a kid "why did he\she leave" and "why was I abandoned" and "why was he or she not around" and "didn't he/she/they not love me?" must have had a devestating effect on thy hyper-intelligent and mentally very active Bobby Fisher. For someone who explored and wanted to control the options chess gave, those emotional questions must have been hard to leave unanswered.
The end of the documentary suggest a grown-up that is "never been loved, never been kissed". (His final words were something in the line of "there is nothing more soothing/healing/empowering than a human's touch".)
My parents did a real nasty trick on me so I can relate to those facts (although Bobby Fischer's mom is presented as kind and social and intelligent, but not very caring and mothering in a conservative way). I think it's weird and a little unjust Fisher is looked upon as a bit of an eccentric and crazy yet a genius but weird etc. where I can see a typical "it must be me I'm no good I'm crazy I don't deserve to be loved they should abandon me" etc trauma.
with [cheese]