Citation

Soyka M, Zingg C. J. Forensic Sci. 2010; 55(3): 655-659.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Nussbaumstr. 7, 80336 Munich, Germany. michael.soyka@privatklinik-meiringen.ch

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01354.x

PMID

20345783

Abstract

Few studies have investigated criminal and violent behavior in patients with affective disorders. We reviewed the national crime register for records of criminal offenses committed by 1561 patients with affective disorders and studied the predictive value of certain psychopathological symptoms assessed with the Association for Methodology and Documentation in Psychiatry (AMDP) system concerning future criminal behavior. Sixty-five (4.2%) patients had been convicted in the 7-12 years after discharge (307 cases). Patients with the AMDP syndrome mania had a significantly higher risk for later criminal behavior. The combination with the hostility syndrome further increased the risk. These findings are in line with previous data indicating a higher risk for later criminal behavior in patients with a manic/bipolar disorder compared to depressive disorder. As previously demonstrated in another sample of schizophrenic patients, the AMDP syndromes mania (and hostility) is associated with a higher risk of later criminal behavior.

Language: en