Violence Severity and Psychosis

Abstract

To examine whether severity of violence was associated with specific types of psychotic symptoms a retrospective file review of men found of unsound mind by the Queensland Mental Health Tribunal was conducted. The association between symptoms and three levels of violence were examined. Capgras delusions and command hallucinations were associated with homicide; acute danger; and threat/control-override symptoms with serious violence, and grandiose delusions with assault occasioning bodily harm. When previous violence and substance use were controlled, the symptom variables remained significant predictors. Victims were more likely to be known when violence was more serious. The study provides support for the role of psychotic symptoms as one factor that may account for the relationship between mental illness and increased violence risk.

Homicidal Physical Violence: An Exploratory Analysis of Relevant Cognitive, Demographic, and Criminological Factors in a Sample of Murderers

“…Keene and Holloway found no difference in psychotic symptoms across levels of violence (2000). Other studies reported a greater incidence of psychotic symptoms (paranoid ideation, command hallucinations, threat/control-override symptoms, Capgras symptoms) in more violent offenders compared to less violent offenders (Chan & Shehtman, 2019; Green et al, 2009). In one meta-analytic study injury severity did not moderate the relationship between violence and psychosis; rather, psychotic symptoms were associated with increased risk for violence at both mild and severe levels.…”

Exploring the Role of Psycho-Social Factors on the Recidivism of Homicide Offenders

“…On the one hand, studies have been conducted that find a direct association of mental health issues (namely psychotic symptoms, paranoid ideation, mania, bipolar disorder, and PTSD) with aggressive and criminal behavior (Fazel et al, 2010; B. Green et al, 2009; R. Howard et al, 2017; Kelley, Thornton et al, 2020; Stueve & Link, 1997). On the other hand, researchers suggest that mental illnesses do not directly increase crime, but rather that this association is mediated by other variables.…”

“…Research reporting associations between mental health issues and crime is, however, inconsistent and contradictory. On the one hand, studies have been conducted that find a direct association of mental health issues (namely psychotic symptoms, paranoid ideation, mania, bipolar disorder, and PTSD) with aggressive and criminal behavior (Fazel et al, 2010;B. Green et al, 2009;R.…”

Risikoeinschätzung und Risikomanagement bei psychiatrischen Patienten

“…Komorbidität mit Substanzmissbrauch [3,19,[20][21][22][23] Komorbidität mit antisozialer Persönlichkeitsstörung [20,23,24,25] Eltern, bei denen Substanzmissbrauch und/oder Delinquenz bekannt ist [21] systematisierter Wahn mit hoher Wahndynamik, welcher die inneren Normen und Kontrollen ausschaltet; vor allem Verfolgungswahn, Eifersuchtswahn, Überzeugung, kontrolliert zu werden, Ichstörungen; [26,27,28,29] Threat/Control-override [20,29,30,31,32], d. h. der Patient ist der Überzeugung, dass sein Verstand von Kräften, die außerhalb seiner Kontrolle liegen, dominiert wird, ihm fremde Gedanken aufgezwungen werden, andere Menschen ihm Schaden zufügen wollen frühere Viktimisierung [20,33] junges Alter [3] gewalttätige Vortaten [22,30,34] neuropsychologische Defizite niedriger sozioökonomischer Status Risikoeinschätzung und primäre Prävention sind nicht auf den stationären Bereich beschränkt. Auch in der psychiatrischen Praxis ist primäre Prävention von großer Bedeutung.…”