mental illness not an excuse for terrorism

| Westminster Bridge Flowers after the Westminster attacks, March 27th 2017.

by Laura Goddard

“Mental health issues are not a characteristic of most terrorists’’, says psychiatrist as Westminster attacks commemoration approaches

On March 22nd, as London commemorates one year after the Westminster terrorist attacks, the stigma between mental illness and terrorism must disappear. Islamic-state terrorism has begun to rule the Western World, spreading fear around the globe.

British authorities are tackling the issue by launching pilot programmes in three cities, with the aim of establishing a direct link between terrorists and mental illnesses. Alicia Kearns - Parliamentary candidate who led UK government interventions in Syria and Iraq - explains “I do not accept that there is a common link between terrorism and the vast majority of mental illness.”

Khalid Masood - perpetrator of the horrific Westminster attack in March 2017 - was diagnosed with mental illness as he sought help over his urge to kill. The recent Florida terrorist shooting was carried out by Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old described as a “depressed loner’’. While self-radicalisation via the internet is one of ISIS’s major recruitment methods, the confusion - between “mentally unstable” individuals and those suffering mental health issues - remains.

| For dear life.

Though it is undeniable some terrorists are mentally ill, only a third of them suffer psychological issues. “Mental health issues are not a characteristic of most terrorists. It would be too simplistic to confuse terrorism with psychological disorder”, explains Bérénice Baudoin, French psychiatrist who studied criminology and profiling.

Trying to find a link between terrorism and psychological disorders undoubtedly creates a stigma behind anyone suffering mental illness. “Having psychological issues most certainly does not mean you are likely to become a terrorist.”, adds Alicia.

Between 2001-2013, 12% of ‘’homegrown jihadis’’ living in the UK converted to Islam. In 2015 in the US, 40% were converts against 23% of the overall Muslim population. Are converts more likely to be linked with terrorism? Would this help us abandon the stigma around psychological disorders?

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