Online Terrorism Offenders with ADHD

Abstract

Most people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not commit offences, and in offenders with ADHD, the condition in itself does not cause offending behaviour; rather, certain aspects of ADHD may contribute to both risk and resilience factors. This chapter addresses how ADHD can contribute to contexts for online terrorism risk in a small minority of individuals who pose a terrorism risk and have a diagnosis of ADHD. The chapter begins by defining ADHD and considers how it can become linked with offending. It then explores how ADHD is linked to problematic online behaviour generally before considering how this may apply specifically to online terrorism. This is an under-researched area that has increasing relevance as terrorism becomes more digitalised and as individuals of all profiles become exposed to online terrorist materials. The literature and proposed theoretical-clinical model may have relevance for risk formulation and treatment considerations by terrorism experts.