New York – In the wake of the execution of two uniformed NYPD officers this past weekend, and debate over a fatal hostage-taking by an ISIS loyalist in Sydney, Australia, CNN New Day hosted Michael Welner, M.D., forensic psychiatrist and Chairman of The Forensic Panel, to discuss the relevance of mental illness and its emphasis in public discussion on these spectacle cases. Carrying out a crime to show off is one of 25 items of the Depravity Standard now being surveyed among the general public for its degree of depravity.
Distinguishing the absence of evidence of psychosis from crisis and coping deficits in males who deal poorly with romantic rejection, Dr. Welner drew a linkage to the Brooklyn killer’s shooting of an ex-girlfriend who rejected him earlier in the day to the outcome of spectacle violent crime.
Dr. Welner also called attention to how the ideologies of both offenders were not fringe because they were shared, and why that is important in any consideration of the role of mental illness. Some movements may sweep up those with extensive criminal histories, and who derive a sense of worth from destructiveness, he added. This includes even causes that assert that they are peace activists, because they are so zealous as to adopt an “entitlement to violence.”
To watch the interview, please click here
For more on H.R. 3717, please click here
To read more on the recent Depravity Standard research surveys, please click here
