Crime and Mental Illness Schizophrenia

infanticide

Associated with postpartum depression; mothers may believe child is possessed or may hear voices to kill their children

command hallucinations

Auditory hallucinations ordering either violent or nonviolent action; depend upon variety of factors and upon personal, situational, and clinical variables

Capagras Syndrome

Belief that familiar person have been replaced by physically identical imposters- delusion of misidentification

Doppelgänger syndrome

Belief that one has a double or an impersonator; earlier identified as a delusion of misidentification

Delusion types

Bizarre, nihilistic, erotomaniac, grandiose of control, referential, persecutory, somatic, thought withdraws, thought insertion

Introjection/self critical

Extremely self critical, fail to meet own self goals

Delusion

False belief based- fixed belief not amenable to change regardless of evidence to contrary

anaclitic depression

First used to describe state of depression, withdrawal listlessness when infants are separated from their mothers

dysthymic disorder

Prolonged period of depressed mood with depressive symptoms yet does not meet criteria for major depressive episode

Schizophrenia and arson

Scant research seems to indicate fire setters have coexisting family history of alcohol abuse

Dominant goals of depression

Self critical depression; failure to meet ones own unrealistic standards imposed or internalized mental representations of or from parents; later acceptance of external negative evaluations

Hallucinations

Sensory persecution that has compelling sense of reality, can be sight, hearing, smell, touch or taste

threat/control override symptoms

Substance abuse disorder associated with risk of serious violent offending and incarceration

Fregoli syndrome

The delusional belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise, generally viewed with paranoia (that the "shapeshifting" person is out to get them); but their psychological identity still remains the same

anaclitic depression

Vulnerable to perceive losses in relationships with others because they are dependent upon judgement of others for self esteem, history of early users

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Ways of thinking and behaving that something had been added to the way a person normally thinks & behaves

Manic episode

Abnormally and persistent elevated, expansive, irritable and increased goal directed activity or energy lasting at least 1 week & present most of the day nearly everyday; 3 or more symptoms of inflated self esteem, decreased need for sleep, talkative, racing thoughts, easily distracted, increased goals/ psychomotor agitation, excessive involvement in activities that could have painful consequences; mood disturbance is severe enough to cause marked impairment of social functioning or require hospitalization to prevent harm; mood disturbance is not due to substance abuse or medical conditions

Intermetamorphosis

Another form of delusion of metamorphosis; others have undergone radical physical & psychological changes to become persecutors

catathymic crisis

Anxiety, inner tension, resentful and latent aggression build up that requires sudden release & potentially violent expression of suppressed emotion; example is murder or suicide

Most individuals with schizophrenic

Are not violent

Disorganization syndrome

Based on reality distortion, disorganization, psychomotor poverty; prominent characteristics are disorganized behavior and speech, flag or inappropriate expressions of emotion

Sociotropic

Becks theory that depression is dependent on interpersonal relationships for self evaluation

Autonomous

Becks theory that depression is focused on achievement and independence

Disorganized speech

Characterized as speech "jumping of track" during convos; speaking with random & jumbled words and the use of words that do not make sense; thought disorder

Psychotic disorders

Class of illnesses characterized by delusions and hallucinations

Depression

Dependency or anaclitic depression characterized by vulnerability to perceived losses in relationships with others; dependent on others for self esteem

Example of depressive episode

Depressed mood, marked loss of interest or pleasure everyday, weight change, over or under eating everyday, insomnia/hyper insomnia everyday, psychomotor agitation, fatigues or loss of energy, diminished ability to think/concentrate/ make decisions, recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts without a specific plan

major depressive episode

Have to have 5 or more symptoms present during the same 2 week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either depressed mood/ loss of interest or pleasure; cause significant distress and impairment in social, occupational life; can not be caused by psychological effects of substance abuse/medical conditions; never has been a manic episode or hypomanic episode

Sucide in schizophrenia

Highest risk during early stage of the illness

Psychosocial factors

Hodgins proposed three distinct subtypes of violent offender with schizophrenia based upon age of onset; ear,y starters- Antisocial behavior emerge in childhood/early teens before onset of schizophrenia; common offenders who are not violent prior to onset of schizophrenia are repeatedly aggressive towards others; small group with chronic schizophrenia who are not violent are not aggressive for 1-2 decades, but then become seriously violent often those killing them

Greater risk of violence during schizophrenia

Is during the 1st episode of psychotic illness and not receiving treatment

Highest probability of offending of schizophrenia

Is young males in the early stage of illness and who have coexisting substance abuse issues

homicide

Lack of emotion

Hypomanic episode

Lesser form of manic episode which last 4 days instead of 7; mini episode

Schizophrenia

May develop gradually or rapidly and can begin at any point, typically between late teens & mid 30s; often occurs along with depression, anxiety, substance abuse; contain both positive eg. delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech; negative eg. absence of emotion, thought or goal directed behavior; two or more of the above must be present for at least 1 month

Nonviolent and property crimes of schizophrenia

Minor material gain, food, car theft, inappropriate emergency calls, vagrancy, public order crimes

postpartum depression

Mood disorder/ brief psychotic disorder within 4 weeks after childbirth; presence of delusional thoughts about the infant is associated with risk of harm to infant; may be common in mothers having her 1st child

Bipolar disorders and crime

Most psychiatrist agree murder is rare among manic patients; violence is related to the phase of the illness; violence and homicidal thoughts are associated with depressive phase; manic phase is associated with petty theft, swindling, minor assault, fraud

The occurrence of the major depressive episode is

Not better explained by schizophrenia affective disorder, delusional disorder, other psychotic disorders

persecutory delusions

Refers to the belief that one is going to be harmed/ harassed by an individual, organization or other group; not unfounded; common on schizophrenia, occur in organic stages and severe depressive disorders

Schizophrenia in sex offenders

Were most likely to be married, employed, non-heterosexual; lower percentage of psychiatric hospitalization, antisocial behavior and substance abuse

cyclothymic disorder

a disorder marked by numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms and mild depressive symptoms that do not meet criteria for a major depressive episode

Matricide

act of killing one's mother; negative family dynamic

negative symptoms of schizophrenia

affective flattening, alogia (lack of speech) caused by disruption in thought process; in conversation alogia patients will reply very sparsely and their answers to questions will lack spontaneous content; will fail to answer at all times; their responses will be brief generally; avolition (represents ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that suggest something is missing or taken away from a persons normal experience)