1
Applied Final Project:
Dylan Klebold and Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Jade M. Vega
University of Maryland University College
2
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to suggest a psychological diagnosis for an adolescent male, Dylan
Klebold. The diagnosis which may explain many of Dylan’s behaviors is schizotypal personality
disorder. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were the gunmen in the Columbine High School
shooting of 1999. Excerpts from accounts of the tragedy, including notes from Dylan’s own
journal, will be used as evidence against the DSM-V criteria for schizotypal personality disorder,
and similarities will be discussed. The DSM-IV multi-axial system is used to examine Dylan’s
behaviors and functioning. This paper will also explores possible since the individual in forms
of treatment which may have benefited him, since the individual committed suicide with Eric
Harris.
3
Background Information
Dylan Klebold was born in Colorado to Susan and Thomas Klebold. He had an older
brother named Byron. Dylan, by all accounts, was raised in a loving family and was active in a
number of school activities. Dylan Klebold and his high school best friend, Eric Harris, became
known to the world on April 20, 1999 when they killed 13 people at Columbine High School,
injured 24, and then committed suicide (Cullen, 2009). It has been widely speculated that Eric
Harris fit Robert Hare’s definition of a psychopath—he hated the world and everybody within it
equally; his journal and videotapes exhibit this clearly. Dylan’s involvement in the massacre,
however, has left many people puzzled. He never displayed any inclination towards violence,
although he did often seem depressed and had a great deal of social anxiety. The journal that
Dylan Klebold left behind leaves clues as to why this happened. Dissection of the entries and
Dylan’s actions before and during the shooting provides clues of his psychological condition.
After analyzing available information, it seems possible—and likely—that Dylan Klebold was
suffering from what would today be called schizotypal personality disorder.
Axis I: Clinical Disorders or Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention
Dylan Klebold was, as far as any researchers know, never diagnosed with any clinical
disorders. The disorder of focus is schizotypal personality disorder, which does not apply in this
section under the DSM-IV criteria for Axis I. (American Psychological Association, 2000)
Axis II: Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation
Dylan Klebold meets the criteria for a diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder. The
fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-V, describes the
disorder as having two main criteria. The first is that a persistent pattern of “social and
interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort and reduced capacity for close relationships as
4
well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behavior” must begin by
adulthood and be present in a variety of contexts (American Psychological Association, 2013, p.
655). Dylan meets the first criteria for reasons that will be elaborated further. The second major
criteria is that these behaviors and deficits must not be a result of another mental disorder—such
as another psychotic disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar or depressive disorders (American
Psychological Association, 2013). We can assume that if Dylan had schizotypal personality
disorder, the symptoms did not arise from another psychological disorder; this assumption is
being made for the purpose of this paper, and as far as we—the public—know, Dylan was never
formally diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder.
The first major criteria of schizotypal personality disorder must be met by at least five of
the following symptoms, of which Dylan exhibited at least five: “ideas of reference (excluding
delusions of reference); odd beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is
inconsistent with subcultural norms; unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions;
odd thinking and speech; suspiciousness or paranoid ideation; inappropriate or constricted affect;
behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric, or peculiar; lack of close friends or confidants
other than first-degree relatives; excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity
and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self”
(American Psychological Association, 2013, p. 656-656).
Dylan’s journal entries, videotapes that he and Eric recorded (the “Basement Tapes”),
and his actions demonstrate that he held certain odd beliefs. Dylan referred to humans as
“zombies”. He once wrote, “I am GOD compared to some of these un-existable brainless
zombies” (Cullen, 2009, p. 182). This is one of several instances in Dylan’s journal where he
not only demonstrated odd thinking, but odd speech, as well. He used several words which were
5
not real, in addition to using words in inappropriate contexts. In one unsent letter to the girl he
secretly loved, Dylan wrote, “I, who write this, love you beyond infinince.” (Cullen, 2009, p.
292).
Dylan had several friends, including close ones, throughout his lifetime. When he met
Eric, however, he slowly lost the close connections and became closer to Eric than anybody else.
It has been postulated by many that Columbine happened because Eric—a suspected
psychopath—met up with Dylan, a person who was insecure and willing to go to great lengths to
please others (Cullen, 2009). It is therefore reasonable to assert that, for at least the year prior to
and including the shooting, Dylan also met the criteria of “lacking close friends or confidants”.
(American Psychological Association, 2013, p. 656)
Dylan’s appearance was rather ordinary, although he was very self-conscious and unhappy with
himself. He was especially self-conscious about his large nose. Unlike Eric, Dylan had no real
physical abnormalities—perhaps the only thing that made him stick out was his tall height and
awkward way of carrying himself. He frequently stood and walked while slightly hunched over
(Cullen, 2009). Dylan suffered from excessive social anxiety, which mostly was associated with
paranoid fears of rejection. He felt as though he was different than everybody else, and that he
never fit in (Cullen, 2009). This statement reflects a feeling that is common to individuals with
schizotypal personality disorder (American Psychological Association, 2013).
6
Axis III: General Medical Conditions
This author could not find any reported general medical conditions that Dylan Klebold
had. He was a young and seemingly healthy adolescent from an average and, by all accounts,
well-adjusted, middle class family. It is, however, impossible to know if there was an
undisclosed, or possibly undiscovered, medical condition.
Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems
The DSM-IV lists several areas of problems; four of these areas are especially relevant to
Dylan Klebold: problems with primary support group, problems related to the social
environment, educational problems, and problems related to interaction with the legal
system/crime. Dylan’s support group consisted of his immediate family—his mother, father, and
brother—and Eric Harris. Unfortunately, the Klebolds were unaware their son was suffering,
and there is no evidence to suggest they had any idea that Dylan was planning the attack at his
high school. In fact, the Klebolds were very forthcoming with information during the
investigation following the shooting. According to Tom and Sue Klebold, their son was
“extremely happy”, and since they operated an anti-gun household, they would not find any
explosives or weapons in the house (Cullen, 2009, p. 69). When the police found a pipe bomb in
Dylan’s closet, his parents were shocked. For Dylan, communicating with his primary support
group—his immediate family—was not an option. Although his parents felt close to Dylan, they
did not know what he was doing with his friends or planning to do.
Dylan Klebold has often been pegged by the media as being a social outcast. This is not
a truly accurate depiction. In fact, before the attack Dylan went to the prom with a female date.
He participated in many after-school activities, although he was too shy to perform onstage with
the drama club. He had friends other than Eric Harris, but nobody else had any idea what Eric
7
and Dylan were planning. For this reason, the most relevant individual in Dylan’s social
environment was Eric. In general, Dylan was very shy, and one of the reasons him and Eric
became so close is because Dylan loved the camaraderie and enjoyed feeling like he fit in
(something he did not often feel). Throughout the course of planning the shooting, Dylan
wavered several times. There is even evidence that he let at least four people get away during
the shooting because he did not want to see them die. (Langman, 2010) In the end, though, the
event that the boys referred to as “Judgment Day” was something that Dylan mostly exhibited
great enthusiasm about.
Dylan has been described as having been “born brilliant”. (Cullen, 2009, p. 175) As far
as education goes, Dylan was enrolled in a program for gifted students by the time he was in
third grade. He showed great promise. He had applied and been accepted to several universities,
and was planning on attending the University of Arizona in the fall after his graduation. (Cullen,
2009) During his last years at high school, however, Dylan got in trouble several times. He kept
falling asleep in classes. He was a heavy drinker and went by the name, “VoDKa”, sometimes
capitalizing his initials. Dylan used to brag about making fun of freshman; once, he was caught
scratching obscenities into a freshman’s locker. When called into the Dean’s office, Dylan
erupted—cursing, screaming, etc. In the face of trouble, while Eric was calm and convincing,
Dylan was “pure emotion” (p. 10).
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale
The purpose of Axis V is for an individual to be rated in respect to "psychological, social,
and occupational functioning" (American Psychological Association, 2000, p. 32). Dylan
Klebold should be rated a 1 on the GAF scale for a variety of reasons. The most serious is that
there clearly was a "persistent danger of severely hurting self or others"; in fact, he was jointly
8
responsible for the death and injury of many others, as well as his own death (p. 34). In regards
to social functioning, Dylan spent much of his time with Eric Harris, a young man who fits the
characteristics of a psychopath. It is likely that if Dylan never met Eric Harris, the tragic
shooting at Columbine High would have never occurred. This does not diminish the severity of
Dylan’s psychological distress—in fact, he had alluded to suicide several times in the many
months preceding the massacre. Dylan was suicidal; it has been posited that he would not have
turned homicidal without Eric. (Cullen, 2009) In regards to occupational functioning, Dylan had
one job for over a year, which he was very unreliable at. He rarely ever showed up. After tuning
up his resume, he applied for another job, which he got; however, Dylan never came in to start
working (Cullen, 2009). Overall, it is appropriate to rate Dylan a 1 on the GAF Scale, because
he clearly posed a danger to himself and others; unfortunately, his actions speak for this rating.
Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder explains many of Dylan Klebold’s
strange behaviors, as well as how these behaviors tragically culminated in the massacre at
Columbine High School. Research on the treatments of schizotypal personality disorder is not
nearly as advanced as some other psychiatric illnesses, but the psychotic-like symptoms can be
treated by using medication. Psychotic-like symptoms are those such as magical thinking and
suspiciousness, and these can be treated in patients with schizotypal personality disorder by
using antipsychotic medication (Chemerinski, Triebwasser, Roussos & Siever, 2013). Dylan
Klebold should have, ideally, be placed on antipsychotic medication and undergone extensive
therapy to get to the root of his anxious thoughts and behavior, as well as his fluctuations
between shyness, depressive states, and aggression. If Dylan Klebold were alive today, he would
9
likely be diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder and undergone the previously
mentioned course of treatment.
10
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders. (4th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders. (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
Chemerinski, E., Triebwasser, J., Roussos, P., & Siever, L. (2013). Schizotypal personality
disorder. Journal of Personality Disorders, 27(5).
Cullen, D. (2009). Columbine. Twelve.
Langman, P. (2010). Why kids kill: Inside the minds of school shooters. Palgrave Macmillan.