Psychiatrists Warn Execution Livestream Could Trigger PTSD

Plans to livestream the execution of former US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan have prompted warnings from mental health specialists, who say viewing the event could cause psychological trauma. The broadcast, scheduled for December 3, will show the execution by firing squad of the man convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, following an announcement by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Experts cited concerns about trauma responses, anxiety and worsening mental health conditions among viewers. Neil Greenberg, a professor of defense mental health at King's College London, said people with existing psychological difficulties could face particularly serious risks, while forensic psychologist Simon Duff warned that witnessing an execution could have lasting effects.

Hegseth said the government intended to make the execution public so people could witness the consequences of the attack. The planned broadcast is believed to be the first public execution in the United States in almost a century.

Hegseth described Hasan's attack as an act of radical Islamism carried out by a uniformed servicemember against fellow soldiers. He said the execution would be conducted by firing squad and made available for public viewing.

Dr. Simon Duff, a forensic psychologist at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, said research specifically examining the psychological effects of watching executions remains limited. However, studies of journalists who witness violent events have identified responses consistent with psychological trauma.

"Certainly if people are not resilient they probably shouldn't [watch], but if they have some underlying psychological driver towards viewing an execution they will likely do so regardless of the potential for harm," Duff said.

Duff also pointed to cases in which executions have not proceeded as intended, raising concerns about the additional distress such incidents could cause viewers.

"Recent events suggest that executions do not always go to plan," he said, referring to the failed execution by lethal injection of Christa Pike in the US. "That possibility needs to be acknowledged, and the likelihood that this would increase the trauma for viewers."

Greenberg said warnings about disturbing material do not necessarily prevent people from watching it. For some viewers, the anticipation of seeing traumatic images could itself trigger anxiety before the broadcast begins.

"Instead they are likely to suffer anticipatory anxiety before the ‘trauma’ is shown and some people will then become distressed," he said.

He warned that people with pre-existing mental health conditions could experience distress or a deterioration in their psychological well-being after viewing the execution.

"It is likely that people who have pre-existing mental health problems will be especially at risk of becoming distressed or experiencing a deterioration in their mental health.

"My advice would be not to watch the event at all and I would hope that mainstream media would not transmit highly traumatic images [or] sounds."

Historical evidence has also raised questions about whether public executions deter crime. Rosalind Crone, a history professor at the Open University in the United Kingdom, said England and Wales abolished public executions in 1868 after growing concerns about the effects on spectators.

"Public execution in England and Wales was abolished in 1868 because of persistent and increasing concern about the effects of watching hangings on the crowd.

"It was clear that public execution did not have a deterrent effect, in fact, sometimes the opposite."

Crone said crowds attending executions increasingly included people who had taken time off work, as well as spectators who were drunk, disruptive or celebratory. Such behavior contributed to objections against the practice.

She cited an 1846 letter by Charles Dickens to the Daily News that criticized the behavior of execution crowds and described a lack of solemnity or remorse among spectators.

Crone argued that broadcasting executions could create additional challenges in managing public reactions, while questioning the broader effectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent.

"Public execution – and execution full stop – does not work as a deterrent," Crone added. "If anything, the use of a medium like video broadcast will likely generate new, potentially more dangerous problems in managing crowd responses and reactions."

Public executions remain uncommon internationally. According to the source report, only two of the 17 countries that carried out executions in the previous year conducted them publicly.