Citation

Vandamme MJ. Ann. Med. Psychol. (Paris) 2009; 167(8): 629-637.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Societe Medico-Psychologique, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.amp.2009.08.004

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An abundant international scientific literature is supporting the idea that mental illness is a major risk factor for aggressive and violent behaviours. In addition, schizophrenia is the mental illness, which is over-represented in aggressive and violent behaviours. However, it is not clear to understand the real place of schizophrenia. In particular, some psychopathological signs, seem dominating in the risk of violence, independently of the diagnostic of schizophrenia. in the same way, active phase of the disease, clinical forms, the delirious mechanisms, threat and control-override symptoms, and several other clinical or subclinical factors could play a major role in the relation schizophrenia-violence. This review of the literature proposes to examine these factors to understand the real place of schizophrenia in aggressive and violent behaviours. Mental illness is currently designated as a risk factor of violent behaviours. In order to destigmatise people, just suspected because of the disease, the definition of various clinical dimensions, often independent of diagnoses, likely to precipitate or cause the recourse to violence, don't appear sufficient. It appears necessary to take into account social or contextual factors, which would explain the recourse to the violence by people suffering of a mental illness. This review of the literature proposes to examine the sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors playing a role in the violence among people having a mental illness in general or a schizophrenia in particular.