Homicidal Thoughts: Am I a Danger to People?

It's happened to all of us at one time or another, we've thought of killing someone. Are these thoughts normal, or is it something that we should be really worried about?

Let me start by saying that I'm not a doctor or a mental health professional, I'm just someone who's dealt with a lot of stuff in their life. What I'm about to tell you is based on my own personal experiences and opinions. While I hope this helps some of you, It's always wise to get other people's opinions, and a professional one never hurts.

As I said in the opening line, most of us have had homicidal thoughts at least once in our life. Most of us don't dwell on it for very long, but the thoughts have happened none the less. Maybe someone cut you off in traffic and you thought "I should run you off the road and kill you!" or someone told a lie that damaged your life and you thought 'I'm gonna kill them for that." For most people it's something that happens in an instant out of anger, and we don't spend any real time processing the idea.

For some people, the thoughts go deeper than the momentary rage reaction. Some people spend a great deal of time thinking about killing others. I know when I was a teenager I spent a great deal of time plotting the deaths of my grandparents because of the abuse that I suffered at their hands. I've plotted the murders of a few other people that have done serious wrong to me as well. So, am I a murderer waiting to happen? I seriously doubt it.

Sometimes entertaining detailed scenarios of doing harm to others is something that our minds need to do. We know in some part of our brains that there is little or nothing that we can actually do about the situation, so having these thoughts gives us a way of taking power over the situation. It may or may not make any actual difference, but at least for a time it makes us feel better about whatever we're going through.

The thing that separates murderers from the rest of us is action. Most people, even when we spend hours every day thinking about all the ways that we could kill someone, have a voice in the back of their heads telling them that they'll never get away with it, it's wrong, and not to do it. We listen to that voice, and we keep our actions in check. When you stop listening to that voice and truly move toward acting on it, or if you don't have that voice at all, that's when things can go horribly wrong.

Now, sometimes you might be bothered by the fact that you have these thoughts so often. I have somewhat of a solution for that. What I did with my thoughts was put them down on paper. Some of it was in the form of poetry, some was in the form of stories. By writing it down and fictionalizing it, I got to use it and get it out of my head. After that I would commit myself to letting it go, and only taking actions that would have a positive effect on my life. That's what helped me, but it may be different for other people.

If you're having homicidal thoughts from time to time, I wouldn't really worry about it. If you have them on a regular basis, but you have that voice telling you not to go through with it, again, I wouldn't worry too much. If it seems that you can't control the thoughts, they're interrupting your life or upsetting you, or you're actually thinking of going through with them, then you may have a problem.

If you think that your thoughts might be a problem, then I would suggest talking to someone about it. If you have a trusted friend or family member, try talking to them and see what they suggest for you to do about it. If you want, you can go to a professional counselor or psychiatrist and ask them for help. Some people prefer going straight to a professional because they fear that family and friends won't understand. Who you contact is up to you, but if the thoughts are affecting your life and your emotions, it's a good idea to talk to someone.