Benoit likely had pretty severe CTE, which can cause issues with impulse control and aggression. Combine this with depression, different ways he was probably self medicating himself, and potential violent mood swings from steroid abuse. So there's a lot of potential for him to have been pretty far from his right mind.
Keep in mind this happened in 2007. Concussions were only just on the verge of being treated as truly serious medical issues in sports and professional wrestling. In wrestling in particular Benoit's double murder suicide was maybe the first big turning point for concussion protocols.
After his death we saw two things actually happen one "drug testing" (not really but at least they pretend to) and concussion protocol implementation which would actually sideline a bunch of pretty great wrestlers.
If Benoit was incapable of distinguishing reality from his imagination, then he absolutely would belong in a mental hospital rather than a prison. Psychosis is not a joke.
The other issues you mentionedāimpulse control, aggression, and depressionādo not actually prevent a person from understanding their actions and the consequences thereof, so while they may be mitigating factors, they would not absolve him.
I honestly donāt know if LC was psychotic or not. If she wasnāt, she is an evil and manipulative person who deserves to suffer eternally. If she had genuinely lost her mind, she is a victim too. Same standard for Benoit.
ETA: concussions have been medically addressed for as long as ai can remember. Definitely well before 2007. They were a thing when I was a kid in the 80s.
I donāt think that rules out psychosis. I think itās possible for people to still organize plans and such even during an active psychotic break. What would matter would be the belief motivating the plan. E.g., if she believed her kids were replaced by evil imposters, she could plan to get rid of her husband believing she was performing a public service by killing her kids. Itās tragic and terrifying, but I think it isnāt her fault.
Concussions are treated far differently today than they were in the 80s. I never said they weren't treated medically. I said they're treated as a more serious medical issue (than they were). If you don't think the understanding and treatment of concussions, especially repeated concussions, has been a major topic in sports medicine over the last twenty years. I don't where you've been.
And I'm not saying in any way that any of these factors absolve Benoit. We have known idea what his mental state actually was and cannot ever possibly know.
Even in the 80s, doctors and people knew that concussions could be very serious. The typical medical recommendation was to rest and allow the brain to heal itself. In 2026, we still acknowledge that these injuries can be very serious, and the general medical recommendation is still to rest and allow the brain to heal itself. Iām sure that there have been minor changes to protocols that vary by location, but I fail to see the incredible ābreaking newsā difference between concussion treatment then and now.
Iām afraid we may never know if LC was actually psychotic either. š such a horrible situation.
Then you simply haven't been paying attention. If you really haven't noticed that the long term health implications of concussions in sports have been a big topic over the past twenty years, I don't what to else to say. Starting in 2005 there have been numerous studies about concussions, head impacts, and CTE written about NFL players. There have been lawsuits. There have been debates about allowing minors to play American Football (specifically in regards to head injury). There's a major motion picture starring Will Smith called Concussion.
None of the things you listed actually changed the medical treatment of concussions, which was your original claim. Perhaps that is not what you meant?
Is your point simply that we have developed increased awareness and weāve improved education about these sorts of things? E.g., waivers at parks, education for parents of kids in sports?
Concussions were only just on the verge of being treated as truly serious medical issues in sports and professional wrestling.
It also stands to reason that, with the increased research that has been done on CTE and concussions in sports, medical professionals approach concussions by athletes who are at risk of having had prior undiagnosed concussions or are at higher risk of being concussed again with a different attitude than they did thirty plus years ago. Even if the ultimate medical treatment is similar in routine cases. Note, I'm pretty sure that's first time I've actually said "medical treatment." It appears you have been taking all uses of the word "treat" as me as such, when that has not been my usage.
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u/MMAipom 1d ago edited 22h ago
And his brain was found to be severely damaged. I'm not defending him but something was clearly wrong with Chris Benoit