28% of murderers thought to have suffered from ASD

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Recipe for a serial killer? Childhood abuse, autism and head injuries are more common in murderers, study claims

Researchers studied journals, new stories and legal files for murder cases
They found that 28 per cent of murderers were thought to have suffered from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
21% had suffered a ?definite or suspected? head injury in the past
And of those killers with ASD and head injury, more than half had previously experienced psychosocial stress
But researchers stressed that having ASD or a head injury alone were not linked to psychopathic tendencies
Instead, small subgroup of these people suffering with a combination of problems would be more likely to kill
Psychosocial stress includes exposure to sexual abuse during childhood

By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON
PUBLISHED: 04:21 EST, 21 May 2014 | UPDATED: 10:25 EST, 21 May 2014

Serial killers are portrayed as cold, calculating and often obsessive but it was unknown exactly what caused them to commit such heinous crimes.

Now research from Glasgow has found that these similar traits among different murderers may be linked to specific psychological disorders and childhood trauma.

Researchers from Glasgow have conducted the first ever analysis of journals, news reports and legal files involved in the cases of killers, including Anders Breivik and Dr Harold Shipman.

They discovered a link between suffering a combination of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a head injury and a psychosocial disorder, such as that caused by exposure to abuse in childhood or parental divorce.

Breivik was convicted of mass murder in 2012 for causing a fatal explosion and terrorism in Norway in 2011. During his attack eight people died in the bombing and 69 more died in a mass shooting.

In January 2000, a jury found Dr Harold Shipman guilty of killing 15 of his patients - although he is believed to have been involved in the death of up to 250.
Other killers studied included 1996 Australian mass murderer Martin Bryant, and 2008 Exeter nail bomber Nick Reilly

According to the findings, 28 per cent of the high-profile killers were thought to have suffered from ASD. In contrast, around one in 100 of the general population is thought to suffer from the condition.

There were additional reports that claimed a fifth had suffered a ?definite or suspected? head injury in the past.

Of those killers with ASD and/or a head injury, more than half had previously experienced psychosocial stress such as sexual or physical abuse, but also parental divorce.
The Glasgow research, therefore, concluded probably more than 10 per cent of serial killers on the whole, across the worldwide population, show signs of ASD, and a similar proportion have had a head injury.

This combination could potentially result in an individual being predisposed to develop into a mass murderer.

?The report, which is the first of its kind to look at all the available material around serial and mass killers, identified that a complex interplay between neurodevelopmental problems and psychosocial factors are most likely to lead to incidences of this kind,? explained the study authors, led by Dr Clare Allely.

But the researchers claim that a person suffering a neurodevelopmental disorder or a brain injury, by itself does not result in a serial killer or mass murderer.

To test the hypothesis, the team from the University of Glasgow searched studies and books that were both published and still in progress that referred to serial killers, violent crime, psychopathy, narcissistic personality disorder, and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Databases included Web of Knowledge and PsycINFO, and search terms included ?autism and serial killer?, ?psychopathy and autism?, ?murder and autism?, ?brain injury and serial killer?, among other relevant searches.

The researchers also examined book chapters, whole books and electronic documents available locally, and through the UK?s inter-library loan system.

Among all the 239 eligible killers, 28 per cent had ?definite, highly probable or possible ASD? of which seven per cent also had a head injury.

More than 21 per cent had suffered a definite or suspected head injury, of which 13 per cent also had evidence of ASD traits.

Mass murderer Dr Harold Shipman, pictured, was 'highly suspected to have had ASD' and had experienced stressors in the past, the study found
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Mass murderer Dr Harold Shipman, pictured, was 'highly suspected to have had ASD' and had experienced stressors in the past, the study found
Out of the 106 killers with ASD and/or head injury, more than half (55 per cent) had experienced psychosocial stressors.

The paper added that despite the ?exhaustive search? reports on fewer than 400 serial and mass killers were found since 1985, suggesting they are rare.

Dr Allely, from the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow, continued: ?It is crucial to note that we are not trying to suggest individuals with ASD or previous head trauma are more likely to be serial killers or commit serious crime.

?Rather we are suggesting that there may be a subgroup of individuals within these groups who may be more likely to commit serious crimes when exposed to certain psychosocial stressors.

?Research on mass and serial killing is still very much in its infancy. New research is urgently required to understand the mechanisms underlying these extreme forms of violence so that preventative strategies can be developed.

?We would recommend that in future, all serial or mass killers who are apprehended should be thoroughly assessed using standardised tools for investigating neurodevelopmental disorders including ASD and head injury.?

The findings are published in the in the Journal of Violent and Aggressive Behaviour and the full paper can be viewed at Science Direct.

Carol Povey, Director of The National Autistic Society?s Centre for Autism, told MailOnline: 'This is a very serious issue and research like this is vital if we are to develop preventive strategies.

'But we would urge people not to jump to conclusions about people with autism and to make judgements about a whole section of society.

This and previous research shows that the vast majority of individuals with autism are law abiding and respect the rules of society. Indeed, in many cases, individuals with autism are unusually concerned to keep the letter of the law, due to the nature of the disability.

'This research reaffirms the importance of ensuring that people with autism get the support they need as early as possible.'

DOCTOR CALLS FOR THE BRAINS OF PSYCHOPATHS TO BE 'REWIRED'
In a recent paper, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience journal, Dr Sergio Canavero claimed the brains of killers and other psychopaths should be treated using psychomodulation ? a deep brain stimulation of regions linked to personality and mood.
He said that imprisonment or the death penalty are costly and considered inhumane.
In his research, Dr Canavero called for a ?complete rewiring of the psychopath brain by associating brain cortical stimulation to environmental reconditioning.?

He believes that because brain stimulation is a non-invasive, or minimally invasive technique, it can be used to treat a number neurological and psychiatric conditions.
This is because ?it has the capacity to alter brain circuitry according to length of stimulation. Unlike deep brain stimulation, it carries no risk of death or disability.?

More text, graphs, photos and comments here>>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... laims.html

And so, it begins...

Someday a bet autistics will be treated like Jews were in World War II when some tyrant like Adolf Hitler comes into power.
Then people will say that tyrant was autistic.

I remember they linked Adam Lanza from the Sandy Hook Elementary School with Aspergers. I always see the media saying something negative about certain conditions/ disorders . Sometimes I wonder why murderers are linked with ASD and not something else.

Why is it so easy to get unofficially diagnosed with ASD if you are a murderer?

what a load of bollox.
autism or brain injury will never directly cause forensic actions and behaviors such as murder, what woud cause it woud be the circumstances surrounding an individuals upbringing,their environment and life and their coping skills and support system as well as their general mental stability which coud be weak and cause a tendency towards feeling like society is against them.

am probably ticking all the boxes on the researchers murder spree criteria;severely autistic and a lifelong sufferer of built up mild and moderate brain injuries from acute daily head banging but dont feel a need to go murdering people because its..... well; wrong and will never choose to harm another being.

certain personality disorders crossed with a poor upbringing have to be one of the biggest cause of murders but conditions themselves dont directly cause forensic behaviors,theres always influence from something else that then combines into a deadly combination.

So this is the Daily Fail. Renowned for publishing sensational lies:

http://boingboing.net/2014/01/03/lies-o ... -mail.html

Well I just want to go to the doctor and have a chat about how terrified I am of having Asperger's because for all I know I might be a murderer. Better move me at least 10 miles away from any school then. As a matter of fact I actually live right next door to a primary school, wooooo, that doesn't sound good, please move the girl who ''lacks empathy'' away from this school completely, her ''lack of empathy'' might make her come waltzing into the school with a gun and start up a mass shooting. Oh, and this unempathetic girl works with vulnerable people, get her out of there quick, lock her away, she might start killing people off.

Oh but leave the people high on drugs alone, the type of drugs that make them do unpredictable things. Give them a home and benefits, and just pick on the people on the Autism spectrum.

Why the f**k can't I just be an NT, and just be left alone and live in peace and not have to worry about being tortured like the Jews?

I can't believe what I am reading here. I really hope it is all a joke. I can normally take jokes quite easily, but really horrific stuff like this really isn't funny, I just can't take a joke out of it. Oh why do I have to have Asperger's, of all the other mental health conditions I could be born with, it has to be the most dangerous one of all? And I'm starting to hate that word ''empathy'', all it is is empathy this, empathy that, Autistics lack empathy but NTs all have empathy. I wish I was NT, then I could lack as much empathy as I wanted but still be put into the ''empathetic human type'' group, instead of going through life trying to please other people and worrying about how they're feeling and giving up my own feelings to save their's and usually can imagine how they feel, and yet I get put in the ''most unempathetic human type'' group then will be punished for it in 40 years time, whenever this ''new Hitler'' gets in and just decides to pick out the people on the Autism spectrum, who, in my experience, most of us wouldn't harm a fly (literally I can not harm a fly).

If true, this would mean that 72% of murderers are not thought to have suffered from ASD, so I think its a pretty good ratio.

But there is a difference between "thought to" and actual fact "diagnosed with". Even if they were actually diagnosed with ASD, let's not forget that no one is 100% AS nor 100% NT, so how would they know whether it was the AS side of their personality or the NT side that pushed them to murder, there is plenty of neurotypical people who commit murder.

There is also a big difference between autism and psychopathy. A psychopath is someone like Ted Bundy, someone who can do very well in society, act very normal, can be very charismatic, and can plan a murder very well. There is also a huge difference between not being full of emotions all the time, and actually murder a person in cold blood.