If you haven't watched the fifth and final series of You yet, look away now as there are some serious spoilers about to be revealed. The season finale was released on Netflix on April 24, and the nail-biting climax saw Joe Goldberg finally held accountable for all of his crimes. Before that moment, the internet's favourite serial killer managed to add another five bodies to his hit list, bringing the total count of everyone he's murdered over the course of the thriller up to 22.

This obviously is the work of a very disturbed man, but while the series has hinted at Joe's actions being influenced by his childhood trauma, Joe has never been given an official diagnosis.

Award-winning psychologist has weighed in on what mental illnesses she thinks may be behind Joe's murderous tendencies in an exclusive chat with the Express, as well as whether it is possible that his violent tendencies have been inherited by his son Henry as season five seems to suggest.

Dr Lalitaa has made it clear that she would need to do a clinical assessment before being able to give anyone a formal diagnosis. However, purely based on watching episodes of You, she has an idea of what personality disorders Joe might have.

She told the Express: "Joe's behaviour aligns with traits of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and Obsessive Love Disorder, as well as possible Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) features. His compulsive need to kill is often framed as "protective" or "necessary," but at its core, it reflects a severe lack of empathy, impulsivity, and a warped moral compass."

Throughout season five Joe engages in a romantic relationship with a woman who goes by the name Bronte, who initially believes that his traumatic childhood is the only thing responsible for his attacks on those he percieves as endangering the people he loves. However, Dr Lalitaa does not think this is the only reason Joe is driven to kill. She added: "His trauma history may contribute to his detachment from consequences, but his calculated nature and manipulations suggest more than emotional dysregulation, it reflects disordered thinking, entitlement, and an internal narrative where violence is justified for love."

When it comes to Joe's pursuit of Bronte despite being already married to Kate Lockwood, the psychologist does not think the bookshop owner is experiencing a simple conflict between the desire to commit to one person and an internal drive towards non-monogamy.

With support from , she shared: "Joe isn't inherently non-monogamous in a consensual or ethical sense, instead, his pattern reflects obsessive and idealised attachment. Each time he meets someone new, he projects fantasies onto them, convincing himself that this person will finally give him the unconditional love he craves.

"His fixation often comes from unprocessed childhood trauma, a lack of emotional regulation, and a deep-rooted fear of abandonment/rejection. It's not about genuine connection or healthy desire, it's about filling a void and he is doing this temporarily and using others to do this, whereas he needs to be going inwards to understand his patterns and why he can become so obsessive and where this comes from. He seeks a saviour in each person, which is why his relationships are so intense, unstable, and ultimately destructive."

One of the concerns that became quite prevalent for Joe in series five was the possibility that his son Henry might have inherited violent impulses from him. The young boy is threatened with expulsion from school after breaking his cousin's nose, and later in the series, even throws a knife at his aunt when he overhears her having a ferocious row with his parents.

His adoptive mum, Kate, is horrified by these incidents and begins to worry that Henry has somehow subliminally picked up on his dad's tendency to turn violent when anyone threatens his immediate family. Meanwhile, Kate's sister, Reagan insists that the child is a "bad seed" who has had these tendencies passed down to him by his biological parents.

However, Dr Lalitaa refuted that idea, saying: "Violence isn't inherited in a direct or deterministic way, it's shaped by both genetics and environment. Children can inherit traits like impulsivity, emotional sensitivity, or difficulties with regulation, which, if unaddressed, can contribute to externalising behaviours.

"However, simply being biologically related to someone violent does not mean the child will follow that path. What matters most is the child's environment, attachment relationships, emotional support, and modelling. Suggesting that violence is 'inherited' can be misleading and overly simplistic; it undermines the role of nurture and the possibility of healing through safe caregiving and intervention."