Are True Crime Documentaries Bad for Your Mental Health?
I admit it: I’m a true crime fan. TV shows, podcasts, books, movies — you name it, I’m probably interested. The Tinder Swindler? Check. The Keepers? Watched it. LuLaRich? Yep. American Murder: Family Next Door? Seen it. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I get excited every time a new docuseries is announced, and I love talking about it with others who are intrigued.
To some, it seems like a morbid, macabre interest. Yet if you’ve been paying attention to pop culture lately, you’ve noticed that true crime is booming. The surge is particularly popular among women; a quick Google search of “true crime women” yields a plethora of results.
Why are true crime documentaries so popular?
Lauren Cook-McKay, a licensed marriage and family therapist and the vice president of marketing at Divorce Answers, notes that it gives us something different to think about and consider. And unlike the news, true crime documentaries give more than just superficial information.
“This entertainment genre delivers viewers with comprehensive features tackling even the deepest details such as the motives, rationale, and personal accounts of the people involved, which satisfies our natural curiosity,” she says.
According to Cook-McKay, watching true crime documentaries makes us think about survival tactics and helps give us a sense of control over potentially dangerous situations.
There’s also the visual elements of such shows and movies. “Not to mention, it dresses up the gore… with cinematography that emphasizes how this show must really affect and resonate with us, triggering emotions and ideas that hook viewers up,” she adds.
Are true crime documentaries bad for your mental health?
It can be easy to quickly succumb to binge-watching a true crime series, especially when the Netflix algorithm feeds you recommendation after recommendation. Is it OK to keep watching? Is there any harm in being a true crime junkie?
“There’s nothing wrong with being a fan and having interests in different things, especially if it’s one specific thing,” says Aura De Los Santos, a clinical psychologist and educational psychologist. “[B]ut when this interest or passion turns into an obsession, it’s already a problem.”
Indeed, when it becomes an obsession, mental health becomes more of a concern. “People who are obsessed with all things true crime live in a world that revolves around true crime,” notes De Los Santos. “The more they know, the more they want, and it’s never enough.”
Your obsession has gone too far if “[y]ou can’t go a day without looking for information” or if it prevents you from spending time with loved ones and completing other necessary tasks, says De Los Santos.
“We are here talking about an addiction, where the person only focuses on everything related to true crime,” she adds.
The bottom line on true crime and mental health
Overall, there are pros and cons to true crime and murder documentaries. While they can be fascinating — and even beneficial — to watch, be wary of becoming too obsessive. It’s always OK to take a break and watch a comedy every once in a while. That docuseries will always be there waiting for you when you get back.