Stalking has been in the spotlight recently thanks to the huge success of the Netflix drama Baby Reindeer, created and starring comedian and writer Richard Gadd.
Based on a true story, the drama highlights the act of stalking and how it can affect both the victim and the stalker.
Now, an expert forensic psychiatrist has revealed some of the different types of stalkers, as well as explaining why simply ignoring them doesn’t necessarily make them stop.
Dr Sohom Das, 44, from London, has a YouTube channel called A Psych for Sore Minds, where he covers a range of topics related to mental health and crime.
He has made several short videos on the topic of bullying, including a shorten from a recent appearance on This Morning when she spoke about the different impulses behind bullying.
According to forensic psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das (pictured), ignoring stalkers doesn’t necessarily mean they will go away.
According to Dr Das: ‘There are different categories of bullies and we can classify them in terms of their motivation.
“So you can get your harasser rejected, who is someone who has already been in a relationship with the victim and is there to reconcile the relationship; they won’t take no for an answer.”
“Then you have a resentful stalker who doesn’t necessarily have to do with a romantic connection, but is someone who feels wronged.” They feel like victims. It could be an argument over property, for example, and they do everything they can to make the victim’s life healthy.
“And then you have an incompetent suitor… then it’s someone who genuinely thinks that what he’s doing, from his perspective, is romantic.”
“(They’re) fantasists and there’s even a subcategory of it called erotomania, which is a mental illness (where people have) delusional ideas, so they really believe you’re in a relationship.”
Discussing myths about bullying in another person shortenDr. Das pointed out that many people assume that only the famous and well-known are harassed, which is not the case.
“(A myth about bullying is that the victims are) mostly celebrities, and they’re mostly harassed by fans,” she said in the video.
“So people assume that having a stalker is almost like a status symbol for fame, like… having a private jet or being invited to the Oscars… but in reality, most stalking victims are normal people.
However, Dr Das (pictured) explained that depending on the type of stalker, ignoring them can sometimes work.
‘In fact… about 80 to 90 per cent of the time, victims know their harassers, so they could be ex-partners… co-workers… acquaintances. (Stalkers) can even be family members.’
When talking about how to deal with bullies, Dr. Das made another videoin which he debunked the myth that ignoring them will make them disappear.
In it, he said: ‘(A myth about) bullies is that the best way to deal with them is to ignore them…(but) Ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
‘That said, it somewhat depends on the reasons and motivations of the harasser in the first place. place.
“So, for example, someone with erotomania, which is a delusional belief that they are in a relationship, might have other psychotic symptoms. So ignoring them will make a difference because they may be receiving their stimulus or messages from a delusional source.” that you can’t control.
And there is the resentful stalker. They are already wronged, they already feel wronged. So if you ignore them, you might make them even more angry and continue their behavior.
“But if you have someone who’s looking for intimacy, even though they might be transfixed by the original victim for a while, they might eventually get the message because they’re basically looking for any kind of relationship.”
“Then they’ll move on to another target, which isn’t good for the target, but you know, it solves the problem, so sometimes it can help.”
Dr. Sohom Das can be found at Twitter, instagramand Tik Tokas well as YouTube.