There is no DSM criteria for disordered thinking. Disordered thinking isn't a diagnosis.
I also don't believe a person with legitimate mental illness, the symptom of which is disordered thinking, could carry out this crime. A crime like this requires organizational skills and executive function that individuals with severe mental illness often lack when they decompensate.
I am sorry, but I think you are wrong here. Disordered thinking was my way of stating in laymen's terms
that the person is not normal. ALL DSM diagnoses involved disordered thinking. Period.
Delusions, lapses in reality functioning, compulsions, inability to have second order processing into one's own behavior -
all of these are "disordered thinking." I can't possibly list all the versions of it (my list of synonyms for use in SM is now at about 200 terms).
Mental illnesses have no relationship to legitimacy/the law. However, as a mental health researcher who has 40 years of experience (my area is field diagnostics), I will say that NO ONE who does what this killer did is a normal person. Therefore, there are symptoms in DSM that apply. I could list many. However, for the purposes of this discussion (so far), I am only going to mention the ones for which LE/MSM have provided evidence.
Where are you getting the idea that mentally ill people do not have organizational skill and executive function? There are mentally ill surgeons and generals; there are mentally ill presidents and CEO's, there are mentally ill actors and creatives. Many examples (read Kay Jamison; the academic literature on LBJ; Irv Yalom; or a good biography on several historical figures - just go to scholar.google.com and put in "mental illness in history" or some similar).
As to what I'm trying to say about DSM criteria and this particular perp, here are some possible symptoms. all of them are in DSM and all are disordered thinking. Keep in mind that I am speculating merely on the facts as known in this case, and the work of FBI profilers who have spoken about this case (possible symptoms of this perp):
- Suspiciousness and a general fear of others’ intentions.
- Persistent, unusual thoughts or beliefs.
- Difficulty thinking clearly.
- Withdrawing from family or friends.
- A significant decline in self-care.
- They do not desire or enjoy close relationships, even with family members.
- They choose solitary jobs and activities.
- They take pleasure in few activities, including sex.
- They have no close friends, except first-degree relatives.
- They have difficulty relating to others.
- They are indifferent to praise or criticism.
- They are aloof and show little emotion.
- They might daydream and/or create vivid fantasies of complex inner lives.
- Act rashly
- Be irritable and aggressive
- Fight or assault other people
- Break the law and accepted social norms
- Not care about the safety of others or themselves
- Not show signs of remorse after hurting someone else
- Fail to meet money, work, or social duties
The mental processes behind all of these symptoms are, by DSM definition, **not** normal. These are a grab bag of symptoms - but I'm sure that somewhere, LE (particularly FBI) will be interested in trying to build a case from among the suspects by observing symptomology.
Having said that, you can certainly few such things as failing to meet one's work or social duties as indicative of a normal way of thinking - but I simply can't get there, for myself. Some of the symptoms are benign (usually) such as extensive daydreaming - but it's still a mental symptom. Excessive daydreaming, especially when not caring about safety and not feeling remorse - those are mental symptoms that lead to criminality.
ALL of this is due to "disordered thinking." That's what DSM is about (disordered behavior plays some role in diagnostics, but it's mostly about mental states. I could have used many synonyms (atypical cognition; malignant mental states) - but what just happened occurred because of the mental states of one person (I'll be very surprised if it's two).