Re: psy\ufffdcho\ufffdsis: deterioration of normal social functioning.
I don't think anyone can tell right now whether bin Laden is psychotic. There is a late stage schizophrenia that can strike one in mid 30's, and then there's the usual manias. Pressure, however, can do strange things to a person. So can isolation.
I think that bin Laden is more of Hitler, we wouldn't consider Hitler psychotic, merely evil. He surrounded himself with yes men and was head strong, hence thought it a wonderful idea to attack Russia whom he'd already sidelined with a non-agression pact signed by Ribbontroff (sp?) and Molotov, the respective foreign ministers.
bin Laden strikes me a run-of-the-mill religion nut with an engaging personality, who simply had enough money to get his own way, started to believe his own press releases.
However, a significant number of psychotic people turn to religion. I...uh...have direct familial experience with this phenomenon and have read a bit on it. They are generally afflicted with guilt. There's no reasoning with such people. Come to think of it, there's no reasoning with religious nuts.
Gerard Allwein