List of serial killers who have suffered from mental illness, from schizophrenia to borderline personality disorder. Psychologists have spent decades studying the brains of known serial killers in an attempt to discover what makes them tick. Are serial killers built just like the rest of us or are their brains wired differently, causing them to become vicious, unrepentant killers? Many serial killers suffer from anti-social personality disorder (APD) which does not usually have a clinical diagnosis. APD allows a killer to easily manipulate and charm people without the burden of empathy. However, some serial killers suffer from deeper mental disorders, which affect their ability to tell right from wrong.
When a serial killer is diagnosed with a mental illness such as paranoid schizophrenia, it puts into question whether they can stand trial to face justice. For this reason, many killers go undiagnosed until after their trial, if at all. Although many killers claim to be crazy to get out of being executed, very few are actually diagnosed with a mental disorder.
This list features serial killers who have suffered from some sort of mental illness. These killers often killed because of their disorder.
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Albert Fish
In the early 1900s, Albert Fish claimed to have raped, killed, and cannibalized hundreds of children. However, only 3 victims were ever found. Fish has a long family history of mental illness, with both his siblings ending up in mental hospitals. At one point, Fish's psychiatrist called him a psychiatric phenomenon for all his disorders. Fish claimed God told him to kill the children, but his insanity plea was still rejected and he was executed in 1936.
David Berkowitz
David Berkowitz aka Son of Sam was responsible for a crime spree from 1976-1977 that saw him take the lives of 6 people. After he was caught, Berkowitz claimed that his neighbor's dog told him to kill. He was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Ed Gein
Ed Gein was the inspiration for some of the scariest fictional killers, including Norman Bates and Leatherface. After being charged with the murder and mutilation of multiple victims, he was deemed unfit for trial and diagnosed with schizophrenia. Ten years later, he faced trial and was found guilty, but spent the rest of his days in a mental hospital.
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. However, he was still found competent to stand trial for his 17 murders. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, but ended up being murdered by a fellow inmate.
Kenneth Bianchi
During his trial for the rape and murder of 12 women, Kenneth Bianchi plead insanity, claiming he had multiple personalities. The prosecution's psychiatrist had doubts and even tricked Bianchi into creating a third personality. Bianchi was sentenced to life in prison.
Richard Chase
Richard Chase killed 6 people in Sacramento and famously drank their blood, leading to his nickname, "The Vampire of Sacramento." Before his first murder, Chase was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was institutionalized for a year. Despite his condition, Chase was not able to use an insanity plea in his case. He killed himself in prison.
David Gonzalez
David Gonzalez killed 4 people in 2009 and claimed he was inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street. He had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but wasn't properly treated.