Tahir Rahman, MD

Dr. Rahman is available to speak on a variety of topics, including:

• Lethal Fixations in Targeted Attacks
• Cognitive- Affective Drivers in Fixation and Targeted Attacks
• Are mass shooters mentally ill, or is it a social disease?
• Threat Assessment
• Insanity Defense
• Assassins and Mass Shooters

What others are saying:

This book is a fascinating dive into the vastly underappreciated expanse of extreme overvalued beliefs, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. As a boots-on-the-ground threat assessment professional and as a contributor to the behavioral science of violence prevention, I consider this must-read. Whether you're new to the field or an expert, there's something for everyone in this very accessible read.

Molly Amman, former FBI profiler at the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) in Quantico, Virginia.

Extreme Overvalued Beliefs is a fascinating book on a vitally important topic.  Enriched by copious case studies, it will challenge forensic practitioners’ traditional diagnostic and explanatory frameworks.  It’s also a very good read.

Stephen J. Morse, J.D., Ph.D.

Ferdinand Wakeman Hubbell Professor of Law & Professor of Psychology & Law in Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Rahman’s seminal work provides key differences between delusions and extreme overvalued beliefs. He provides insight into how these thoughts develop over time, fueled by influencers and our digital subculture. This book is essential guidance for the legal system, which often encounters odd or unusual patterns of thinking and behavior.

Joseph S. Passanise, Managing Partner, Wampler & Passanise

Psychiatry has been critiqued for its ever-shifting contours of mental disease concepts. Yet Dr. Rahman distinguishes the contours of a timely and critical concept associated with violence and extreme behavior in society. He does so in manner that gives rise to improved accuracy and clarity of forensic psychiatric assessment. With his analysis of extreme overvalued beliefs, Dr. Rahman has made a substantial contribution to the field and secures his position as a preeminent clinical scientist.

James L. Knoll, IV, M.D., Past President, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

The yawning space between delusional and normal cognitions is artfully and scientifically described by this most important work on extreme overvalued beliefs. We are awash in such simplistic, binary and absolute ways of thinking. Dr Rahman not only elucidates this heretofore psychiatric no man’s land, but makes a critical contribution to our social and political discourse.

J. Reid Meloy, PhD, ABPP

Award Winning Author and Developer, TRAP-18

This thoughtful review of the many ways society understands the psychological influences on behavior unites history, medicine, literature, and philosophy in a unique treatment of pre-occupation and pathology. The challenges of distinguishing controversial beliefs from illness are evident in a book that carefully addresses both the nuances of defining clinical conditions and the subtleties of assigning blame.

Philip J. Candilis, MD, DFAPA

Medical Director, Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington DC

Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Invite Dr. Rahman to Speak