Freud: Notes Upon a Case of Obsessional Neurosis Rat Man

Looking at the title, I thought that this would be about a man hoarding rats like Willard. Boy was I wrong! This actually turned out to be Sigmund Freud’s only known case study about one of his patients who suffered with obsessive-compulsive disorder. One can see how his patient felt obligated to fulfill his obsessive thoughts and behaviors. He would dream and “could not help believing in the premonitory power of his dreams.” The name “Rat Man” was given to him after the patient had a terrifying story told to him by an officer where as punishment, criminals had a pot turned upside down on their buttocks where rats in the pot would then chew their way into the anus. This made him fear rats. He then started to experience compulsions, where he would imagine something dreadful happening to his father, who happened to be dead and a lady he admired, such as: having to endure the same torture criminals experienced with rats. The patient also had a strange history with masturbation. All of his obsessive fantasies and ideas, according to Freud, had reason for coming about. I thought it was crazy how the patient fantasized about marrying Freud’s daughter! “Rat Man” definitely had OCD.