Depression Case Study: Erzsebet Bathory by Erzsebet Helmeczy Erzsebet Bathory was born into Hungarian royalty August 7, 1560, and is infamous as a mass serial killer who allegedly killed over 650 people. Being born into nobility, Erzsebet was very privileged, given a full education and many servants. Despite this, Erzsebet is said to have been extremely moody, later diagnosed by modern researchers as having depression.

Biography For political reasons involving the family name, she was arranged to marry Count Ferencz Nadasdy. Erzsebet became pregnant before the wedding, and it was found that her servant was the father of this child. When she gave birth to a daughter, it was given away immediately. After this, Count Ferencz Nadasdy, her husband, went off to battle. Ferencz died in war soon after. Erzsebet is said to have been very beautiful, and after her husband’s death she became obsessive about her appearance. Now being a widow, she felt as if she were aging and became desperate for a cure. One day, as one of her servants was combing her hair, she combed too hard and as a result Erzsebet struck her. Some of the blood fell on Erzsebet’s hand and she became convinced that the blood made her skin glow, youthful and beautiful once again. Erzsebet was sure that she had found the secret to eternal youth, and killed her maid in order to bathe in her blood. Erzsebet grew a fascination of torturing and murdering young people, especially girls, soaking in the blood of virgins, for that is what she considered to be pure. She lured people into her castle by seducing them, promising education and secret information. Erzsebet preformed very grotesque torture methods, and experimented on the bodies she captured in some of the most horrible ways. Investigations of Erzsebet were not held because of her status, but in 1610 she was found out after murdering four noble women of very high status. Erzsebet was locked in a small brick room, and died four years later in this room by starving herself.

Treatment in the 1500’s Swallowing a frog or serpent Eating salt Drinking beer soaked with herbs Spiritual cleansing ritual Amulet charms In this time period, depression was not a diagnosis, but known as “melancholy”. It is not known what methods of treatment were used specifically on Erzsebet, but popular remedies for melancholy during this time included swallowing a frog or serpent, eating salt, drinking beer soaked with herbs, or a spiritual cleansing to rid the body of bad spirits. Amulet charms were often given from one friend to another for well wishes. However, it was very dangerous to appear too melancholy during this time period, for it was common for people to start becoming suspicious that the melancholy person was taken over by evil spirits. These people were killed for fear of these evil spirits, or in fear that the person as a witch. Erzsebet’s status as a royal protected her from these accusations, and all suspicions were kept quiet and not publicized.

Theory #1- Freudian Introjection Hostility theory: Change: Arranged marriage, having baby taken away at birth, death of husband Fear: Afraid of aging and death There could have been a number of reasons Erzsebet originally began feeling depressed. It could have passed down from a relative, but depression can also appear for reasons such as change. Erzsebet’s life was changing very fast, she was arranged to marry a man, and it is possible she did not know him at all. Having baby whose father was of peasant status was considered dishonorable to her family’s name, and having your baby taken away at birth is a traumatic experience. Being obsessive about her appearance led her to take drastic actions to prevent aging. She was afraid of death, and I think that those thoughts were brought on by her husband’s death. Freud called this the introjection hostility theory of depression.

Theory #2- Psychodynamic Oral Stage theory: Childhood stage during the development of the psychosexual phase Loss- Adults revert back to this stage of highly self-centered ego There is another theory, and this begins at a childhood stage during the development of the psychosexual phase known as the oral stage. When the adult experiences losses, they revert back to this childhood phase of a highly self-centered ego. It is possible that Erzsebet felt the feelings of desertion and rejection as a child, which is likely, seeing that it was often her servants that took care of her throughout her life. At a very young age, Erzsebet experienced her father’s officers torture peasants that lived near her estate. When she was a child, Erzsebet witnessed the capture of a thief and his punishment, which was to be sewn into the stomach of a horse and left to die. I also believe that there is a connection between her husband’s death and her depression. It may have made her realize that hers will come, and it made the fact of death more final to her. When she became a widow, it made her feel old. But instead of accepting older age and death, she became desperate for a solution, tricking herself into believing that blood was her only option. I don’t think that she saw her servants as people, but as a lower life form. Erzsebet was likely brought up to believe this, and to always treat her servants as such. Watching the torture methods preformed on them as a young girl reinforced believing that her servants were a lower life form. These psychological explanations connect to the psychodynamic theory, which is an approach that sees human functioning based on the interaction between the unconscious and the different structures of the personality.

Theory #3- Klein et al Dependency on others: Erzsebet’s dependency on her servants Belief that they must be perfect in all respects: Erzsebet’s belief that she must be perfect looking Low self esteem: Erzsebet’s fear of getting older Inability to express anger openly: Erzsebet becoming angry at the little things Erzsebet killed most of her servants, but later on in her life began targeting other nobility who were also beautiful. I think that it is possible she could have done this as a way of eliminating competition of beauty. This reflects on the study of Klein et al, 2002, who identified personality traits that are common in people with depression. These traits include dependency on others (Erzsebet’s dependency on her servants), belief that they must be perfect in all respects (Erzsebet’s belief that she must be perfect looking), low self esteem (Erzsebet’s fear of growing older, she believed that aging would take away her beauty, therefore taking away everything she had), and the inability to express anger openly (Erzsebet expressed her anger at the little things, such as combing too hard, but I believe that underneath she was actually angry about much bigger things in her life).

Theory #4- Cognitive Irrational thoughts that become distorted or judgmental: Seeing the situation worse than it actually is: Erzsebet’s thoughts then became uncontrollable Cognitive behavioral theorists suggest that depression results from people who are unwilling to adapt to their surroundings due to irrational thoughts that become distorted or judgmental. It is easy for depressed people, such as Erzsebet, to see the situation worse than it actually is. With her distorted thoughts about herself and her situation, Erzsebet’s thoughts became uncontrollable.

Theory #5- Jungian Depression is a good sign of healing, in the sense that it helps the process of obtaining a healthy and stable state of mind. In Jungian terms, depression is similar to a defense system that your brain puts up in order to prevent any further psychic damage. Symbolism: Blood=Life Archetypes: Shadow Erzsebet’s behavior also relates to Jungian theories, which suggest that with depression is a good sign of healing, in the sense that it helps the process of obtaining a healthy and stable state of mind. In Jungian terms, depression is similar to a defense system that your brain puts up in order to prevent any further psychic damage. In Jungian psychology, symbolism is used a lot to communicate this defensive system. In Erzsebet’s case, this can be seen as a way of dealing with the losses in her life, including those of her baby and her husband. If blood were a symbol of life, Erzsebet craved blood. She craved life, and this may be because she felt as if other people had taken hers away from her. There may have been a subconscious need to take back what she felt had been stolen. When Erzsebet lost control and committed horrible crimes on the people she had captured, she gave into her Shadow, which is also a part of the Jungian psychological theory. The Shadow is the negative the parts of us that has been rejected or denied. It includes instinctual urges; these are based from sexual desires, power desires, angers, fears, and other factors that lead to the behavior that Erzsebet gave in to.

Conclusion Erzsebet was very psychotic, and I’m sure had other psychological problems alongside depression. I wonder what Erzsebet’s life would have been like if she grew up in the 21st century. Would she have become the murderer she had become in the 1500’s, or would she have had a healthy mind? If a part of her instabilities had been genetics, then it is possible she would have grown up struggling with depression. It is also possible that her disorder was brought on solely because of the kind of exposure she picked up from her environment at a young age. It could also be a combination of both, or neither. It is hard to say, because of how long ago Erzsebet lived. There has been a lot of information that was lost over the years, but the crimes of Erzsebet Bathory have passed down in history through opera, letters, diaries, and story.

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