According to former chief of the FBI 's Elite Serial Crime Unit, John Douglas, at any given moment in the United States, there is an estimated 25-50 active serial killers. A question that I’ve wondered in the past is whether mental illness plays a significant role in the minds of serial killers. I’ve always had a curiosity for serial killers, and have always wondered about their thinking patterns. What I do know is that is that most serial killers have no remorse for their victims or their families. For myself, this has sparked the new question about whether mental illness plays a part in a serial killer’s actions. In legal cases involving serial killers, many of the defendants will plead insanity, sparing them from prison and sending them
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But many times, I have wondered if they themselves truly believe that they are insane, or are they just pleading insanity to get away with their crimes. However, I have heard that they are not in control of their actions. Also, what I would really like to know is how people who are raised by ordinary parents and who grew up in neighborhoods similar to mine, can have such a dark side that allows them to kill repeatedly with no remorse for their actions.
Starting off my search, I relied on Google to look for some popular and easy-to-find sources. In the search bar, I typed, "serial killers and mental illness" and came across a page titled, "What Would We Find Wrong in the Brain of a Serial Killer?" This immediately sparked my interest, and I read it to see if I could relate the article to my topic. It turned out to be an interesting read, providing insight and relating medical information into the mind of a serial killer. Author and recent neuroscience graduate Jack …show more content…
And yet, this creates another question I have: how does BPD relate to serial killing? Upon pondering this question, I might have come to a conclusion. Perhaps if a supposed serial killer started to become suspicious/paranoid of others, exhibited a lack of empathy, suddenly become emotional and aggressive, then it’s possible for an altercation to occur with another individual. But this would be more of an unanticipated murder, as opposed to a planned one, like most psychopathic serial killers (Pemment). After looking at another cluster B disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD, the article stated that there wasn’t a direct link between NPD and serial killing. The last disorder mentioned in the article in reference to serial killing is schizophrenia, a disorder in which people suffering from it can become violent when experiencing psychotic symptoms such as auditory and visual hallucinations. Per
But many times, I have wondered if they themselves truly believe that they are insane, or are they just pleading insanity to get away with their crimes. However, I have heard that they are not in control of their actions. Also, what I would really like to know is how people who are raised by ordinary parents and who grew up in neighborhoods similar to mine, can have such a dark side that allows them to kill repeatedly with no remorse for their actions.
Starting off my search, I relied on Google to look for some popular and easy-to-find sources. In the search bar, I typed, "serial killers and mental illness" and came across a page titled, "What Would We Find Wrong in the Brain of a Serial Killer?" This immediately sparked my interest, and I read it to see if I could relate the article to my topic. It turned out to be an interesting read, providing insight and relating medical information into the mind of a serial killer. Author and recent neuroscience graduate Jack …show more content…
And yet, this creates another question I have: how does BPD relate to serial killing? Upon pondering this question, I might have come to a conclusion. Perhaps if a supposed serial killer started to become suspicious/paranoid of others, exhibited a lack of empathy, suddenly become emotional and aggressive, then it’s possible for an altercation to occur with another individual. But this would be more of an unanticipated murder, as opposed to a planned one, like most psychopathic serial killers (Pemment). After looking at another cluster B disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or NPD, the article stated that there wasn’t a direct link between NPD and serial killing. The last disorder mentioned in the article in reference to serial killing is schizophrenia, a disorder in which people suffering from it can become violent when experiencing psychotic symptoms such as auditory and visual hallucinations. Per