Citation

Frizzell W, Howard L, Norris HC, Chien J. J. Forensic Sci. 2019; 64(4): 1259-1265.

Affiliation

Mental Health and Neurosciences Division, VA Portland Health Care System, 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Road, Portland, OR, 97239.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.14002

PMID

30664809

Abstract

Interest in the relationship between autism and violence has increased in recent years; however, no link has clearly been established between them. Researchers remain curious if autistic people with certain traits (e.g., a history of trauma) are at greater risk of violence than those individuals with autism alone. In this article, we detail two individuals with homicidal ideation (HI) admitted to inpatient psychiatric units who were found to have a diagnosis of autism without language impairment. These cases illustrate the need for mental health providers to consider autism in their differential diagnosis when evaluating an individual with HI. Broadly, we consider how an autistic individual could be susceptible to developing HI and explore treatments specific to autistic individuals that may be helpful in such cases.

© 2019 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder; behavioral science; forensic science; homicidal ideation; psychiatry; violence