Case Study of Ted Bundy

Many serial killers are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). According

to the Mayo Clinic (n.d.), APD is “a mental health condition in which a person consistently

shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others. People with

antisocial personality disorder tend to purposely make others angry or upset and manipulate or

treat others harshly or with cruel indifference. They lack remorse or do not regret their behavior”

(para. 1). Simons (2001) studied the connection between APD and serial killers. His research

shows that APD starts early in childhood as a result of parental abuse. As a parent or guardian

begins to reject or neglect the child, the child begins to lack emotions or sympathy towards

others (p. 345). In childhood, the future serial killer often becomes reclusive, as they don’t

require social interaction with others. Often, they can mature into someone who shows no guilt,

shame, or remorse for their violent conduct (p. 345). Some also begin their violence in childhood

by torturing or killing animals (Wright & Hensley, 2003, p. 74). The fascination with death

escalates, and sometimes, a parent or guardian is the first victim. Often, that first killing becomes

the model for all later murders (p. 75). Also, Simons (2201) concluded that because the killers

feel no sympathy, the killer can continue to torture, abuse, sexualize, or harrass a victim without

understanding the pain and damage they inflict. Certainly not all people with this disability

become serial killers, but a staggering number do. In fact, APD is quite rare in the general

population (.6% of the population); however, 47% of male inmates and 21% of female inmates

carry the diagnosis (Casarella, 2019, para. 2). Overall, then, this diagnosis is a key factor in

understanding why serial killers can commit such horrendous crimes without any regret, remorse

or emotion.
 Like many other serial killers, some psychiatrists have identified Bundy with APD. That

being said, labeling him has always been controversial. Psychiatrists have identified him with

multiple mental health disorders, and they cannot agree on a solid diagnosis (Jones, 2022, p.

877). However, for the sake of this study, parts of the APD diagnosis do fit Bundy’s childhood

and behavior. First, from the outside looking in, Bundy’s family seemed like a typical

middle-class family. However, biographers have explained that Bundy’s “sister” was actually his

mother. His grandparents had adopted him and raised him as their own in order to protect the

daughter from being an unmarried mother (Sullivan, 2009, p. 56). Regardless, some evidence

exists to show that Bundy’s stepfather was abusive toward him, perhaps even sexually abusive.

Psychiatrists use proof for this claim based upon his odd behavior as a toddler. His aunt recalled

waking up to find her young nephew placing knives near her as she slept. Disturbed, she reported

the behavior to his parents: “ I remember thinking at the time that I was the only one who

thought it was strange. Nobody did anything’ ” (p. 35). Lewis (1998) argues that “only in very

seriously traumatized children who have either themselves been the victims of extraordinary

abuse or who have witnessed extreme violence among family members” would be obsessed with

violence or violent items at such a young age (para. 12). Bundy’s violent, remorseless behavior

toward others continued throughout his teenage years. He often played practical jokes on peers

that would end with broken bones and trips to the hospital (Sullivan, 2009, p. 58). In one such

instance, Bundy dug a large pit, covered it with branches, and then enticed his playmates to run

over it. One girl who fell in broke her femur (p. 57-59). Bundy never felt remorse or sorrow for

his behavior, likely because as someone with APD, he didn’t have the ability to feel emotions.