Self-Identified Vampire Population Growing, Study Finds

Right from onset, there was, at one point, a group of people believed to drink blood for sustenance. They have come to be known as vampires.
These days, vampires are seen as more of an entertainment trend than anything else, but some people still do claim to be of the “lifestyle persuasion.”
According to Idaho State University director of social work, D.J. Williams, “This is a study with a specific alternative identity but it also relates to a larger issue that we are moving into as we are seeing more alternative identities and practices.”


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He notes, “In our codes of ethics, and this is true of social work, counseling, psychology and medicine, we talk about being open and non-judgmental and to try to understand a client’s world and context. This study explored the world and context of self-proclaimed vampires. A lot of clinicians are still not willing to accept these types of studies or are not aware of them.”



He also says, “We should not be surprised to see a proliferation of nontraditional identities in the future.”
Indeed, the study says that there are far more “self-identified vampires” across the globe than most of us are probably aware of.
Additionally, Williams remarks, “People with alternative identities have the same set of issues that everybody has. People of all kinds sometimes struggle with relationship issues or have a death in family or struggles with career and job-type issues. Some of these people with alternate identities may come to a therapist with these issues, and if clinicians are open and educated about this group they should be able to help the individual much better.”
This study has been published in the July issue of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Critical Social Work.