What Hitler’s DNA Analysis Reveals About the Nazi Leader

In your book First-Rate Madness (“First-class madness”, in free translation), Iranian-American psychiatrist Nassir Ghaemi, who teaches at Tufts University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, analyzed “mental instability” in great politicians in history – from Abraham Lincoln to Winston Churchill. Hitler was the only negative example cited by Ghaemi.

To DW, the psychiatrist says he considers the DNA analyzes “scientifically based” and claims to be convinced that the Nazi leader suffered from manic-depressive disorder.

“Manic traits increase creativity and resistance; depressive symptoms increase empathy and realism — all strong points for leaders. These leadership qualities can be used in any political orientation, whether autocratic and tyrannical, as in the case of Hitler, or democratic, as in Churchill”, says Ghaeni, who was not involved in the documentary.

According to Ghaemi, Hitler’s “psychological instability” worsened from 1937 onwards due to the daily administration of intravenous amphetamines to treat his depression — an assessment also confirmed by historical sources.

The possibility that Hitler suffered from Kallmann’s syndrome could, according to Ghaemi, explain “why, unlike most people with manic traits, he apparently did not have a high sexual libido, although he showed many other manic signs, such as talkativeness, great physical energy, little need for sleep and exaggerated self-esteem”. But these are clues, not proof.

Analysis does not allow for safe conclusions

Of course, such assessments and new medical findings can help us better understand Hitler’s mind. But it is not possible to attribute individual behaviors solely based on genetic analyzes and so-called “Polygenic Risk Score Tests” (PRS), which estimate the genetic risk for a given disease.