Psychiatric disorders and crime: a study of pretrial psychiatric examinations

Dis Nerv Syst. 1976 May;37(5):309-11.

Abstract

A study of 50 consecutive individuals referred for pretrial psychiatric examination, presumably because of previous psychiatric hospitalization (82 percent), indicated that antisocial personality, alcoholism, or drug dependence was present in 80 percent. Schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder was seen in about a third of the subjects, usually associated as well, however, with antisocial personality, alcoholism, or drug dependence. There were no significant differences in index crime between those with or without schizophenia bipolar affective disorder. It is concluded that the latter conditions occur in no more than two or three per cent of all felons.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Affective Symptoms / epidemiology
  • Alcoholism / epidemiology
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / epidemiology
  • Criminal Psychology*
  • Female
  • Forensic Psychiatry*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / diagnosis
  • Missouri
  • Schizophrenia / epidemiology
  • Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology