One in three Victoria homicides linked to psychosis, experts warn of mental health system failures
Study finds fourfold increase in killings by people with psychotic disorders; psychiatrists say many deaths preventable
A study by forensic psychiatrist Dr Rajan Darjee has found that 43 of an estimated 126 homicides in Victoria in 2024 and 2025, about one in three, were committed by people with psychosis, a fourfold increase from a decade ago when one in 10 homicides were perpetrated by people with psychotic disorders. Experts have described the rise as the result of 'catastrophic failings' in the mental health system and warned that the public 'should not feel safe'.