Expert reveals why watching true crime shows could actually be really bad for you

Spooky season is just around the corner, and as such, many true crime fans are likely bracing themselves to binge-watch tons of blood-chilling documentaries.

This'll likely include The Ed Gein Story, the latest addition to Ryan Murphy's Netflix 'Monsters' series about one of the world's most sinister serial killers, as well as Disney+'s Murdaugh: Death in the Family, about the South Carolina murder scandal that gripped America in 2021.

Apparently, however, ahead of the release of creepy new content this winter, a psychologist has issued a warning about over-consumption of true crime and the risks this can pose to mental health.

"You become very anxious, or you become depressed because of this true crime you’re watching," Chivonna Childs, a psychiatrist from the Cleveland Clinic, recently told Mindsite News. "That’s when it is detrimental to our mental health."

Going into the specifics, she went on to say that engaging in stories about real-life crimes can trigger paranoid thoughts in people who consume them. Not only might they begin theorising potential danger around every corner - even in the most mundane of circumstances - but they may develop a fear of the outside world.

Whilst she says an awareness of the world around you is a good thing, Childs adds that hyper-vigilance is definitely not.

"[This] is when you’re extra jumpy, everything scares you," she explained. "You think there’s a killer around every corner. You think every white van has a killer in it."

The psychologist also noted that this isolation is often applied to other people, as in many true crime series, the killer is known to his victims.

They're often neighbours, friends, even family members.

Warnings have been issued about the overconsumption of true crime (Getty Stock Images)

"We might start to treat people differently, even people who did nothing wrong other than they look like somebody we saw on this true crime show," she explained. "That’s where we go into isolation and not wanting to be around other people, keeping to ourselves or not speaking to other people.

"We might not want to cross the street when we see someone who looks 'suspicious'."

One individual in agreement on the latter is New Yorker true crime journalist Rachel Monroe, who says in addition that shows of this nature often fail to remind viewers of the rarity of serial killers today.

She also told the outlet: "If you’re just constantly reading about terrible things that happen to other people, it starts to feel like that’s everywhere, you know, even when it’s actually quite rare.

"Stories about serial killers are so popular, but in terms of actual crime statistics, people are much more likely to be harmed by somebody they know – somebody in their own family, somebody close to them – than a random stranger."

Monroe continued: "The crimes that get focused on can lead to a distorted perception of what danger really looks like."

She adds that this is especially the case for women, who tend to consume true crime considerably more than men.

True crime fans could become hyper-vigilant (Getty Stock Image)

Offering an explanation for this, the author continued: "As a society, we glamorise murderers even as we condemn them. And so I think that certainly women who consume that culture are just as susceptible as the rest of us to kind of finding that fascination."

A study published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour in 2021 backed this claim up, finding that 'women who were more fearful of rape reported consuming true crime media with greater frequency'.

The study also indicated, however, that this consumption 'was specifically motivated by the desire to learn strategies to prevent or escape an attack' - and whilst Childs agrees that this isn't exactly a negative, such material should be consumed in proportion.

"We do have free will to determine whether we’re not going to watch something or if we will," the expert continued. "We must be diligent with what we put into our brains."

Issuing advice to true crime fanatics, Childs concluded: "If you find you’re losing sleep, or having nightmares, or you’re losing appetite, or you’re more depressed, or not wanting to spend time with friends or family, these are all signs of anxiety and depression.

"I tell people to watch cartoons, listen to good music or watch TV that makes you feel good. Make sure you have a good mix of everything, and you’re not over-consumed with anything."