Bryan Kohberger, who is currently serving four life sentences for the murders of four University of Idaho students, has described being diagnosed with four ‘mental health disorders’.
Kohberger, who is 30 years old, first shared news of his diagnoses on June 29, when he submitted a court filing that has recently been obtained by People.
The filing came shortly before Kohberger formally admitted in court to killing Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen in November 2022, when he took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
The filing featured questions which had been answered by hand by Kohberger, including one which read: “Have you ever been diagnosed with a mental health disorder?”
Kohberger responded by checking ‘yes’, and wrote underneath that he had received his diagnoses in February 2025 – more than two years after the killings took place.
The conditions which Kohberger claimed to have been diagnosed with include: “Autism (level 1); OCD; ADHD; ARFID.”
Kohberger took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty (Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)
Autism (level 1)
‘Level 1’ autism relates to a definition from the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; a handbook used to diagnose mental disorders, including autism.
This handbook introduced three levels of severity for Autism Spectrum Disorder, with level one being the lowest level, referring to a person who ‘requires support’.
According to Autism Speaks, people with level one autism may have difficulty initiating social interactions, appear to have decreased interest in social interactions, and lack flexibility in behavior.
OCD
A well-known mental health disorder, OCD – obsessive-compulsive disorder – is made up of obsessions and compulsions.
Per the Mayo Clinic, obsessions may come in the form of unwelcome thoughts or feelings that keep coming into your mind and cause you to become distressed.
Meanwhile, compulsions are repetitive things you may do to try and reduce the distress or uncertainty caused by obsessions, and may include physical actions like checking a door is locked, or doing things in your head, like repeating a specific word to yourself.
Kohberger said he’d been diagnosed in February 2025 (Ted S. Warren-Pool/Getty Images)
ADHD
ADHD is characterized by a number of behaviors that most people will show in their lives, however the National Institute of Mental Health notes that people with ADHD will show them frequently and in multiple situations.
Symptoms can include inattention, difficulty staying organized, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
ARFID
A lesser-known condition, ARFID refers to ‘avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder’; a condition which limits your food intake. It can be caused by fear and anxiety about food or the consequences of eating, like choking.
While Kohberger listed these conditions in the filing, he did not try and claim these conditions meant he was not of sound mind at the time of the killings, as the form pertained to the guilty plea he later submitted in court.
