The Mind of a Murderer: A glimpse into the darkest corners of the human psyche, from a leading forensic psychiatrist

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Published in the journal Brain Imaging and Behavior, the new study relied on structural MRI scans of the brains of men incarcerated in New Mexico and Wisconsin, which the researchers had obtained through previous studies. Richard Taylor: So putting it broadly, psychosis involves losing touch with reality, putting it very simply, and this can take the form of delusional beliefs, hallucination. So let's say somebody starts feeling paranoid, starts feeling that people are looking at them. That may then develop into a more systematised delusion, so they may begin to think that they're under surveillance, or they might start to think that chips have been implanted in their brain. These are pretty bizarre delusions. And then the hallucinations, so voices, somebody may be commenting on their actions, or commands, telling them to do things. Sana Qadar: Just a heads-up, this show is about murder, and it gets a bit heavy in parts, take care while listening.

Sana Qadar: You're listening to All in the Mind. I'm Sana Qadar and today, forensic psychiatrist Dr Richard Taylor takes us into the minds of some of the murderers he's assessed over his career.doing house-to-house enquiries and seizing CCTV evidence. After a twenty-four-hour search, the cold, dead body of her newborn was found in the large communal waste disposal bin at the bottom of a rubbish chute, which originated outside the door of her flat.

The Mind of a Murderer is a fascinating exploration into the psyche of killers, as well as a unique insight into the life and mind of the doctor who treats them. For fans of Unnatural Causes, The Examined Life and All That Remains. Sana Qadar: That's Dr Richard Taylor, forensic psychiatrist and author of the book, The Mind of a Murderer. But from my point of view as a forensic psychiatrist, these practices need to be distinguished from delusions. Delusions may respond to psychiatric treatment, whereas culturally normative beliefs about witchcraft will not. Non-psychotic ideas about the malevolent forces of evil spirits or witchcraft To me, Tamara’s affliction was a very real rash. Other skin rashes may reveal underlying medical conditions like scabies, syphilis or systemic lupus erythematosus an autoimmune disease with a characteristic facial rash). Hers was an open window into her highly disturbed personality: an example of a woman turning her aggression on her own body and reproductive system, namely her child – the process that has been described by Welldon.It was these experiences that formed the basis of his first book, ‘The Mind of a Murderer’ which has received critical acclaim. ‘Chilling…. unsettling’ - The Sunday Times. ‘A fascinating insight into what drives criminality’ -The Sunday Telegraph. ‘An intricate and brilliantly written psychiatric perspective on the most perplexing of crimes’ - Forensic psychologist and author Kerry Daynes. ‘Beautifully written and very dark' Nimco Ali, Home Office advisor on violence against women and girls.' Whether or not we give in to the need to condemn, we must recognise that condemnatory explanations do not encourage an understanding of the complex real-world causes of violence. They do not help us find solutions. And applying these narratives involves inhibiting the very thing that we condemn violent offenders for failing to show: empathy. I'm not going to rate this book, as the more I read the more I realised that the book is fine, but I am not the right reader for it. I've discovered something. I find books about murderers boring. I like watching who dunnits on television - fiction, or even factual documentaries about detectives working on a case, but generally I don't like reading about murders and murderers. I did however keep going, as there were snips about psychology and psychiatric services provision that kept me going. As Taylor helps us understand what lies inside the minds of those charged with murder - both prisoners he has assessed and patients he has treated - he presents us with the most important challenge of all: how can we even begin to comprehend the darkest of human deeds, and why it is so vital that we try? Narcissists tend to require constant attention and excessive admiration, and they expect to be recognised as superior. They exaggerate their own achievements are are preoccupied with fantasies about success, power and beauty. They can be exploitative or manipulative to get what they want, and they have an inability or unwillingness to recognise the needs and feelings of other above their own. They may insist on having the best car or the best office; they may demand the most comfortable bunk in the prison cell; or they may be come angry if they're not the first patient to be seen.....

In his twenty-six years in the field, Richard Taylor has worked on well over a hundred murder cases, with victims and perpetrators from all walks of life. In this fascinating memoir, Taylor draws on some of the most tragic, horrific and illuminating of these cases - as well as dark secrets from his own family's past - to explore some of the questions he grapples with every day: With cases like this, of course, we don't really know fully what happened. We have his account, which was clearly distorted. We have also the post-mortem obviously tells a story. And without going into all the details, this was a rage-based homicide, essentially a sort of opportunistic, I think probably an attempted…it may have started off as an attempted sexual assault, but it became all about the rage in terms of his self-esteem and the misogyny. And, as often happens, there doesn't seem to have been any actual overt sort of attempt at sexual intercourse. And often the libido essentially is communicated through the homicidal violence.Bundy and Wright were ­predatory killers, who took the opportunity to strike, believing they wouldn’t be caught. In extreme examples, the false self of the narcissist can be expressed through pathological lying....and adopting a completely new identity as an imposter. One day Amelia woke late, feeling groggy from the warm blanket of heroin oblivion. The next morning, he was still in bed . . . I had a feeling; I knew something was wrong . . . my boyfriend cried and said, “Amelia, he’s dead.” I thought he was still asleep, but he was cold. I tried to feed him, but his body was already stiff.’