大象传媒

Are terrorists mentally ill?

It's a question which has come to the fore in recent years as the terrorist threat has shifted from organised group actions to isolated incidents carried out by individuals.

News reports of attacks are increasingly filled with questions around an attacker's mental health, as people struggle to understand the reasons for what has happened.

Raffaello Pantucci explores what we know - and don't know - about the potential link between mental illness and the actions of violent extremists. He reveals how the changing nature of terrorism in the UK and elsewhere is forcing police and intelligence agencies to reconsider what motivates people to carry out attacks, as well as how they respond.

In this first episode, he looks at a ground-breaking programme which sees specially formed teams manage a growing number of people with mental health issues, who are referred through the Prevent scheme. He hears from police, psychiatrists and the people they have helped - such as a man living with schizophrenia who joined a proscribed far-right group.

Throughout the series Raffaello explores the growing body of academic research which seeks to better understand the potential link between mental illness and violent extremism, and considers concerns of stigma that may come from discussing this link.

Raffaello Pantucci has studied terrorism and counter-terrorism for over 15 years at strategic studies think tanks in London, Washington, Shanghai and Singapore. He is currently a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith