Radicalisation and mental health

Abstract

Background: Although radicalisation is invoked to explain how people become terrorists, there is little empirical evidence.

Aims: To set out the approaches to understand radicalisation, ethical and definitional issues, and how public health approaches may help.

Methods: A non-systematic narrative review.

Results: Radicalisation is proposed to explain how people become terrorists. Factors such as social connections, political engagement, group belonging, mental illnesses and other social and cultural influence show a complex interplay that we are still trying to understand. Common mental illnesses appear to be a risk factor at a population level for developing extremist beliefs, and psychoses and autism are reported as more common amongst some terrorist offenders. The activation of stereotypical and reactive fears and fantasies may distort our understanding of how to prevent radicalisation and terrorism.

Conclusions: A public health framework offers a societal, inclusive, and positive approach to preventing radicalisation, alongside criminal justice actions.

Keywords: Radicalisation; mental illness; public health; risk and protective factors.