22/01/2026
I am pleased to announce the premiere of our new season of Beyond the Crime: A Psychological Analysis. Together with my colleagues Shay Addison and Dr Rob Brockman, I examine one of Australia's most prominent and tragic recent cases: the conviction of Erin Patterson, often referred to in media coverage as the “mushroom murderer.”
In this episode, we deliberately step beyond the legal verdict and sentencing to address a fundamental question that the trial process could not fully resolve: what psychological processes may have contributed to the behaviour in question?
Drawing on schema therapy—a framework I have applied extensively in clinical and forensic practice—we propose a speculative formulation. This analysis integrates publicly available courtroom evidence, reported patterns of behaviour, and established schema modes, while remaining strictly hypothetical and non-diagnostic. Our aim is to illuminate potential underlying dynamics of cognition, emotion, and interpersonal functioning that warrant thoughtful consideration in understanding extreme acts.
The discussion is intended for those with an interest in forensic psychology, criminal behaviour analysis, and the application of evidence-based therapeutic models to high-profile cases.
Dr Lars Madsen, Shay Addison, and Dr Rob Brockman are back for a new season to examine one of Australia’s one of Australia’s most high-profile recent cases - the conviction of Erin Patterson, widely referred to in the media as “the mushroom ...
