Psychologist issues stark warning to people watching The Ed Gein Story’s seventh episode

In the final episode of Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story, the serial killer’s world unravels as a doctor finally diagnoses him with schizophrenia.

For much of the eight-episode show, we as the viewers see through the eyes of convicted killer Ed Gein. We see things as he would, which is obviously hugely different to what actually happened. Between Ed’s delusion and Ryan Murphy’s creative liberties, understanding the true facts of the case is no easy feat.

Those delusions come crashing down in episode seven when Ed learns that the people he’s been talking to, Nazi war criminal Ilse Koch, trans woman Christine Jorgensen, and serial killer Richard Speck, are actually just voices in his head. Specifically, the conversation he had with Christine about gender identity was actually with his doctor.

Credit: Netflix

Those gripping scenes – and Charlie Hunnam’s acting chops – somehow made you feel bad for the guy, the same guy who skinned dead bodies to make a suit. But men are not created evil, or are they?

“Extreme criminality is not hard-wired from birth,” psychologist Dannielle Haig told Tyla, before noting how the environment “usually tips the balance.”

She explained: “Research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) shows that severe trauma, neglect, and unsafe environments can profoundly distort empathy, impulse control, and moral development. When a child grows up without safety or love, it is extremely difficult for them to learn healthy attachment or develop a conscience. Framing killers as ‘born monsters’ oversimplifies the complexity of human development and can distract from understanding and prevention.”

Though the scene is somewhat accurate when it comes to psychological conditions and practices, one element rubbed the therapist the wrong way.

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Ed Gein had schizophrenia, but that didn’t make him a monster

Credit: Netflix

In the interview, Dannielle noted how aspects of the final episode were true. Like Ed Gein, people with schizophrenia do experience hallucinations and a detachment from reality.

But here’s the kicker, because while schizophrenia can lead to aggressive actions, studies don’t support the idea that all schizophrenics are inherently violent.

She explained: “However, dramatisations often exaggerate danger and create a misleading link between schizophrenia and violence.

“Research consistently shows that most people with schizophrenia are not violent; risk rises mainly when untreated psychosis combines with substance misuse. When fiction repeatedly pairs psychosis with horror, it reinforces fear and deepens stigma rather than helping the public understand the condition.”

Basically, don’t believe everything you watch on Netflix.

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Featured image credit: Netflix