Explained | Shraddha murder case in Delhi: How crime shows like Dexter can influence human minds

How much we are influenced by the television screen and movies is a question that we all need to ask ourselves. The Delhi murder is another example of how entertainment on screen at times can lead to ugly and horrific crimes in real life.   Delhi’s Mehrauli murder case , Police revealed that the accused Aftab Amin Poonawalla, was inspired by American crime show ‘Dexter’ to commit his live-in partner Shraddha Walker’s brutal murder. Police also revealed gory details about the accused google search history, where he looked for the method of blood cleaning and read about human anatomy. The larger percentage of the population relies on TV shows and movies for entertainment. For many youngsters this has become a source of recreation other than doing some outdoor activities like playing a sport, or going for a run or walk. The psychological connection of crime shows and real crime Clinical psychologist from Mumbai Dr Seema Hingorrany says, “We are having an increasing number of people coming and telling us that they are addicted to television. So, if they are saying that they are also addicted to the serials that are shown that itself is a problem and the main cause of mental health issues. Now, when we enquire about what kind of series they like, it is mostly that people from the age group of 18 to 40 like crime because they have some kind of adrenaline rush in their body when they see crime videos.” For kids, Dr Hingorrany believes that it is a kind of show off among kids to tell their friends that they are watching crime shows because there is a lot of peer pressure among kids on the kind of shows that they are watching and most of them think that it’s cool to watch crime shows. “They are gory and interesting to watch murder mysteries and they rely heavily especially as source of recreation. So as a psychologist and as a trauma expert I tell them it’s okay to watch them sometimes. But to rely heavily on these series will engage their mind to think on those lines and negativity in their thought process might increase.” The more depressed minds are the more anxious minds and the more you glue to these dark shows and video games on screen, the more harm you are doing to your mental health. Dr Hingorrany adds, “Many clients don’t even realise when they have become too addicted to these crime videos and shows. The way these shows are made are influencing the human mind. Most of the crimes that are conducted, the example is taken from the TV series only and especially in the age group of 18 to 40, I have heard clients telling me that most of the nightmares are about crime and murdering someone.” Violence shown on web shows, films and serials can influence kids Violence labeled as entertainment can definitely have negative consequences on the child’s mind. The child can become aggressive, and agitated, and being violent can be OKAY for him/her.  Dr. Sonal Anand, Psychiatrist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai says, “The more a child is exposed to trauma on television, the more he/she may face mental health issues and become anxious or fearful. Toxic stress can disrupt the development of the brain and other organs as well. The child will be unable to make connections, focus on activities, and will have a feeling of hatred towards others. The child will be constantly negative and may find it difficult to make friends due to his/her aggressive nature. If the child sees domestic violence happening on TV then he/she will glorify it, may commit it in the near future, and think that it is fine to do so. It is better to discourage the child from watching violent shows, cartoons, and movies on TV for the sake of their mental well-being.” Dr Hingorrany has seen kids who indulge in crime shows are extremely aggressive and they become violent at home and even outside. “So, when parents come to me, the first thing that I ask them is what kind of series their kids are watching. Now the most alarming thing is that most parents don’t know what kind of shows their kids are watching. The moment we stop them from watching these series, the aggression will stop.” Sometimes it’s a learned behaviour from series and films shown on digital platforms. So, it is very important for parents to monitor what kids are doing on the laptop. And we must admit that crime videos are extremely interesting to the human mind. But watching crime can be extremely detrimental for mental health so one needs to be very careful as parents as to what kids are watching on TV and how much screen time they are having for recreation. This also happens when there is no bonding in the family. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram.