January 1, 1999

Cyberstalking, one of many categories of cybercrime, has not yet become a subject of study by psychiatrists, said John Deirmenjian, M.D., during a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. He had a great deal of information, however, on what cyberstalking is, the psychological profile of the cyberstalker, and some of the legal issues involved in apprehending perpetrators.

Stalking on the Internet is done through e-mail, chat rooms, newsgroups, mail exploders, and the World Wide Web itself, said Deirmenjian. He described a number of cyberstalking cases such as that of one cyberstalker who sent obscene e-mail messages from several different sites to a woman. The woman then began receiving thousands of messages from men who had seen a posting of a nude woman said to be her, listing her e-mail address and offering prostitution. She moved three times in a year out of fear, changed her telephone number frequently, and began to carry a licensed, concealed weapon. Until she received an anonymous message saying that the man harassing her had followed her and her 5-year-old daughter from the post office to her home, the police said they could not do anything to help her. The perpetrator was then charged with stalking.

Electronic communication allows people to change their personality and project an altered self-image, noted Deirmenjian. Some have argued that it can provide a therapeutic outlet for anxieties that would otherwise be suppressed, while others say that fantasy can serve as a precursor to actual threat.

The lack of vocal intonation and facial expression in electronic communication can affect the recipient's impression of the seriousness of a threat, Deirmenjian said. The lack of social constraints means that anxiety that typically might inhibit aggressive behavior does not exist, he added.

The psychological profile of the cyberstalker reveals a sophisticated perpetrator, he pointed out, one who is computer literate and often financially able to support subscriptions to online services. The typical cyberstalker is an emotionally disturbed loner who seeks attention and companionship in cyberspace and becomes obsessed with someone he meets in a chat room. He may seek a close, even smothering relationship and, if spurned, may launch a campaign of cyberspace harassment that may become physical if he locates the victim.

Cyberstalkers may share the characteristics of other stalkers, which include the fact that the majority are men who are likely to have prior criminal, psychiatric, and drug abuse history. Many have Axis I mental disorders, drug or alcohol abuse history, mood disorders, or schizophrenia. Cluster B personality disorders are most common in stalkers, but paranoid personality disorder (Cluster A) and dependent personality disorder (Cluster C) exist as well.

Significant attachment issues and transference can develop in the electronic communication, said Deirmenjian. The cyber-stalker projects narcissistic linking fantasies upon victims, especially in the absence of sensory perception, he said.

The evolution of the Internet has triggered a debate on whether constitutional guarantees, such as freedom of speech, apply to the Internet, and if so, to what extent the government should impose regulation on online services, said Deirmenjian. He noted that the Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that constitutional free speech protections apply just as much to online systems as they do to books and newspapers. So far, 10 states have enacted laws against computer harassment, but there are difficulties in prosecuting because imminent danger or threat must be present for the police to instigate an investigation.

Some police departments are forming threat-assessment units that specialize in cyberstalking, Deirmenjian noted.

He said that the creation of cyberspace must allow for the development of a new set of rules governing this space, which transcends geographic boundaries. He noted that organizations such as Women Halting Online Abuse and CyberAngels educate the community about online harassment and how to protect themselves against cyber-stalkers. CyberAngels is a network of volunteer sleuths who watch the Internet and look into more that 10,000 harassment complaints a year. The group distributes a pamphlet offering suggestions for preventing and dealing with cyberstalkers.

For more information contact Women Halting Online Abuse at whoa.femail.com or CyberAngels at www.cyberangels.org.