Assessing risk of violence: are only forensic patients aggressive?

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 798-798
Author(s):  
S.S. Vladejic ◽  
S.D. Vladejic ◽  
I.N. Popovic

Society has cherished its fear of psychiatrically ill over the ages. This fear is even more present if concerning mentally ill persons which have already shown socially unacceptable behaviour, or committed serious criminal act before, i.e. murder or rape. This kind of criminal acts, regardless of it's every - day presence in all social groups, gets all the media attention. It is a fact that there are no valid data regarding the rate of criminal activity among psychiatric patients and the percentage of that activity compared with «normal» population, nor can we find the information about the rate of recidivism in these two social groups. But, it is also a fact that criminality of mentally ill stays stabile trough the years, as well as that some diagnostic categories are more vulnerable for demonstrating violent behavior.The purpose of this study was to compare aggressiveness between two groups of patients: patients conducting security measures and control group - patients hospitalized because of exacerbation of psychosis. The study included 40 patients on security measures and 40 patients from control group, diagnosed according to ICD 10 diagnostic criteria. Risk of violence was assessed using instruments of clinical assessment: OAS, PCL:SV and HCR - 20 Scale, at the admission of patients. The results of statistical analysis are that there is no statistically significant difference between two groups regarding the violent behavior and risk for violence in the future. Two diagnostic categories are prominent in showing aggressive behavior: paranoid psychosis and paranoid schizophrenia.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2637
Author(s):  
Mª. Ángeles del Buey-Sayas ◽  
Elena Lanchares-Sancho ◽  
Pilar Campins-Falcó ◽  
María Dolores Pinazo-Durán ◽  
Cristina Peris-Martínez

Purpose: To evaluate and compare corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), and central corneal thickness (CCT), measurements were taken between a healthy population (controls), patients diagnosed with glaucoma (DG), and glaucoma suspect patients due to ocular hypertension (OHT), family history of glaucoma (FHG), or glaucoma-like optic discs (GLD). Additionally, Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg) and corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) were compared between the different groups of patients. Methods: In this prospective analytical-observational study, a total of 1065 patients (one eye of each) were recruited to undergo Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) testing, ultrasound pachymetry, and clinical examination. Corneal biomechanical parameters (CH, CRF), CCT, IOPg, and IOPcc were measured in the control group (n = 574) and the other groups: DG (n = 147), FHG (n = 78), GLD (n = 90), and OHT (n = 176). We performed a variance analysis (ANOVA) for all the dependent variables according to the different diagnostic categories with multiple comparisons to identify the differences between the diagnostic categories, deeming p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: The mean CH in the DG group (9.69 mmHg) was significantly lower compared to controls (10.75 mmHg; mean difference 1.05, p < 0.001), FHG (10.70 mmHg; mean difference 1.00, p < 0.05), GLD (10.63 mmHg; mean difference 0.93, p < 0.05) and OHT (10.54 mmHg; mean difference 0.84, p < 0.05). No glaucoma suspects (FHG, GLD, OHT groups) presented significant differences between themselves and the control group (p = 1.00). No statistically significant differences were found in the mean CRF between DG (11.18 mmHg) and the control group (10.75 mmHg; mean difference 0.42, p = 0.40). The FHG and OHT groups showed significantly higher mean CRF values (12.32 and 12.41 mmHg, respectively) than the DG group (11.18 mmHg), with mean differences of 1.13 (p < 0.05) and 1.22 (p < 0.001), respectively. No statistically significant differences were found in CCT in the analysis between DG (562 μ) and the other groups (control = 556 μ, FHG = 576 μ, GLD = 569 μ, OHT = 570 μ). The means of IOPg and IOPcc values were higher in the DG patient and suspect groups than in the control group, with statistically significant differences in all groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study presents corneal biomechanical values (CH, CRF), CCT, IOPg, and IOPcc for diagnosed glaucoma patients, three suspected glaucoma groups, and a healthy population, using the ORA. Mean CH values were markedly lower in the DG group (diagnosed with glaucoma damage) compared to the other groups. No significant difference was found in CCT between the DG and control groups. Unexpectedly, CRF showed higher values in all groups than in the control group, but the difference was only statistically significant in the suspect groups (FHG, GLD, and OHT), not in the DG group.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1417-1417
Author(s):  
A. Kheradmand ◽  
H. Ziaaddini ◽  
M. Vahabi

Introduction & aimsEstimate the prevalence of cigarette smoking and some of the related factors among schizophrenic and other hospitalized psychiatric patients.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study on 120 patients hospitalized in Shahid Beheshti hospital in Kerman in 2005. Patients were equally devided in two groups of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Sampling was based on statistical census and data were collected using a questionnaire including 27 questions on demographic data, psychiatric disorder, smoking cigarettes and other substances, and Fagerstrom test. Data were analyzed by Chi-square and ANOVA tests using SPSS software.ResultsPrevalence and severity of cigarette smoking was 71.6% and 6.47% among schizophrenic and 51.6% and 6.40% among other psychiatric patients, respectively and the difference was not significant. History of withdrawal was 25.6% and 58.1% in the schizophrenia and other disorders respectively and the difference was significant (P < 0.05). Addiction to other substances was 51.6% in schizophrenic and 45% in the other patients and the most prevalent substances in both groups were opium and alcohol. The severity of smoking cigarettes was 6.9 along with other drug abuses and 5.1 in cases with just smoking based on Fagerstrom test and the difference was significant (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe prevalence of cigarette smoking in both schizophrenia and other psychiatric patients is higher than normal population, but there is no significant difference between these two groups. Schizophrenic patients need persistent supportive and supervising programs for cigarette smoking abuse treatment because of their cognitive, motivate and social problems.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milan Novakovic ◽  
Milanko Cabarkapa ◽  
Tanja Ille ◽  
Andrej Ilankovic

Background/Aim. Different persons show forensic differences related to aggressive behavior in criminal and violation acts. The aim of this study was to forensically analyze the influence of socio-dynamic conditions and stress in testing the forensic hypothesis of hetero-destruction, and analysis of persons with destructive behavior in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) in the period from 1996?2005. Methods. The experimental group consisted of 125 persons who had committed a crime according to the Criminal Law of B&H and, thus were under security measures or treatment. The control group consisted of 125 persons who had committed a violation. The following psychometric tests/questionnaires were used in the study: Eysenek Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Profile Index of Emotions (PIE). Results. There were a significant difference between the respondents? groups related to gender (p < 0.01), while broken family, migration, and family comorbidity showed insignificant differences. EPQ test showed statistically significant differences between the groups for all four variables, and Beck test found significant differences only for some ones. PIE test proved the relations of the basic emotions confirmed by discriminative function. Conclusion. High level of hetero-destruction in crime was proven in the study. Criminal acts and violations were committed by the persons without psychopathology, as well as by the persons with mental diseases, which rendered a forensic responsibility and analysis of such an influence on behavior.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
Fateme Attar Ghasbe ◽  
◽  
Naema Khodadadi-Hassankiadeh ◽  
Shahrokh Yousefzadeh-Chabok ◽  
Anita Reihanian ◽  
...  

Background: Anxiety in psychiatric patients is more prevalent than the general population. Non-pharmacological methods for the treatment of anxiety are beneficial to the health of the patient, but it is not clear which of these approaches are more appropriate. Objectives: The aim of this study is comparison of the effects religious teachings and muscle relaxation on reducing anxiety in patients hospitalized to psychiatric hospital. Materials & Methods: This is a quasi-experipsychiatric study with pre and post-test with control group that was performed on patients hospitalized to the ward of psychiatric hospital during the period from March to June, 2016. Out of 100 patients under the Spielberger anxiety screening, 60 anxious patients were diagnosed and 45 subjects who entered the study were randomly assigned to three groups of 15. Univariate analysis of Variance was used to analyze the data. Results: There was a significant difference between the post-training scores in the three groups (P=0.0001 and F=19.11). According to the Bonferroni test, there was a significant difference between the mean scores after the training in both groups of religious teachings (P=0.001 and MD=8.03, and relaxation with control group (P=0.0001 and MD=12.48). However, there is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores after training in the groups of religious teachings with relaxation (P=0.094 and MD=4.45). Conclusion: The use of the religious teaching module reduces of anxiety in psychiatric patients; religious teachings and relaxation techniques are equally effective in alleviating the anxiety of psychiatric patients. Therefore, it is suggested that these complementary and low cost methods be used to reduce anxiety instead.


1968 ◽  
Vol 114 (514) ◽  
pp. 1079-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. McConaghy ◽  
M. Clancy

Rapaport (1945) was the first worker to advance evidence that at least two types of formal thought disorder contributed to the disturbance of thinking found in schizophrenia; and furthermore that neither of these types of thinking was specific to schizophrenia. Rapaport administered the Bolles Goldstein Object Sorting Test to 217 psychiatric patients and to a control group of 54 patrolmen. He found that schizophrenics showed a tendency to function more at a concrete level and less at an abstract conceptual level, as described first by Vigotsky (1934). This tendency was also shown by depressives and by persons who were not mentally ill but had a poor cultural background.


2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel S Y Cheng ◽  
Candy Lin ◽  
Marcella L Y Fok ◽  
Chi-Ming Leung

This study explores shoplifting behaviour in mentally ill patients, and evaluates the association between shoplifting and different mental illnesses in a local Chinese population. A comparison is made between shoplifting offenders and a matched control group of non-offenders among the psychiatric patients registered at a university department of psychiatry. Major depression, bipolar affective disorder (BAD) and mental retardation (MR) are the most common diagnoses among mentally ill shoplifters, while patients with a diagnosis of BAD or MR are at higher risk of committing an offence than patients with other diagnoses. Bipolar affective disorder has not been described as a risk factor for shoplifting behaviour in the psychiatric literature. Such a possibility should be seriously considered in the psychiatric assessment of shoplifting cases.


Author(s):  
Miodrag Scepanovic ◽  
Vladan Djordjevic ◽  
Ivana Stasevic-Karlicic ◽  
Ena Joksimovic ◽  
Danijela Staletovic ◽  
...  

Introduction/Objective. Factors such as nature of psychiatric disorder, length of hospitalization and oral-side effects of psychotropic medications may considerably contribute to high prevalence of oral diseases among people with schizophrenia, and a consequent need for prosthetic rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to ascertain the oral health level of prosthetic rehabilitated patients with schizophrenia and to consider their needs for future improvement of prosthetic rehabilitation. Methods. The study group comprised 52 patients with schizophrenia, hospitalized at the Clinic for Mental Disorders ?Dr Laza Lazarevic? Belgrade. The control group comprised 52 patients with no psychiatric medical history, treated at the School of Dental Medicine, University in Belgrade. The oral health indices (DMFT index, CPITN and OHI-S), socio-demographic characteristics, smoking habits, oral hygiene habits and previous dental visits were registered in both groups, as well as medical characteristics of the primary disease in the study group patients. Results. Fifty percent of the study group patients had partial mobile dentures, while almost 30% had fixed dentures, in opposite to the control group patients who prevalently had fixed dentures. In both groups of patients, a statistical significance was observed between partial mobile and fixed dentures wearers, in terms of DMFT index, carious teeth, CPI modified and OHI-S. Similarly, a statistically significant difference between groups was observed concerning fixed dentures in terms of carious teeth, filled teeth, CPI modified and OHI-S. Conclusion. Multidisciplinary approach is needed for complete oral and prosthetic rehabilitation of this group of psychiatric patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. e020492
Author(s):  
Olena Molchanova

Background At present neurocognitive impairment is considered a core feature of schizophrenia. This statement is grounded on cognitive impairment stability, the persistence of cognitive impairment independently of the disease stage and other symptoms of schizophrenia. The relevance of the search for cognitive remediation methods is determined by the influence of cognitive functioning on the functional outcome in patients with schizophrenia. In order to solve this problem, scientists are actively investigating such direction in the treatment of patients with this psychopathology as «neurocognitive therapy» or neurocognitive training. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of neurocognitive training in patients with paranoid schizophrenia Methods and materials The patients who matched inclusion criteria were assessed on Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP), neuropsychological tests (Trail Making Test part A and B, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Luria test) at the baseline, 1st and 6th month. All patients who were included in the study were randomly assigned into two groups. The intervention group (n=40) underwent a standard supportive treatment and neurocognitive training. The control group (n=31) received supportive medication treatment alone. Results After 1st month, a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups was found both for the overall PANSS score improvement and improvement in several items, which represented the cognitive decline. Total PSP score increased significantly in the intervention group from 41-50 to 51-60 (р=0.0001). In Wisconsin Card Sorting Test the proportion of incorrect answers decreased by 31.4% (р=0.0001), perseverative errors by 20.1% (р=0.042), the number of completed categories increased by 33.5% (р=0.002). Conclusion The proposed neurocognitive training program showed positive results, which was reflected in a statistically significant improvement in PANSS score and cognitive tests performance in the intervention group compared to control group after treatment course and additional 5 months of the observation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Justa Elizabeth González-Naranjo ◽  
Maydelin Alfonso-Alfonso ◽  
Daymet Grass-Fernandez ◽  
Lilia María Morales-Chacón ◽  
Ivón Pedroso-Ibáñez ◽  
...  

Patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease present sleep disorders with a higher frequency than the general population. The sleep architecture in these patients shows variations with respect to the normal population, so in this work it was decided to investigate the characteristics of the macroarchitecture of sleep in patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A polysomnographic study was carried out on 77 patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. All the studies were processed according to the AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events v.2.2, and to the criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders 3rd ed. (2014). Processing was carried out using descriptive statistics, as well as non-parametric analysis for comparison between cases and controls. The group of patients showed significant reductions of the N2, N3, and REM sleep stages when compared with a control group, as well as a significant increase in intra-sleep wakefulness. The number of REM–NoREM sleep cycles and sleep efficiency showed marked reduction compared to the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in the macroarchitecture of sleep between patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and healthy controls.


2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
F Y Jeenah ◽  
M Y H Moosa

<p><strong>Objective.</strong> An exploratory study was undertaken to determine the value of computed tomography (CT) in the assessment of mentally ill patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.</p><p><strong>Method.</strong> All mentally ill inpatients aged 18 years and older who presented during the period March - August 2005, were screened for eligibility for CT of the head. The patients’ demographic data, clinical details, special investigations and the results of the CT were recorded. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results.</strong> Of approximately 600 admissions, 55 were eligible for CTs during the study period. The mean age of the study population was 38.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 16.3 years). Twenty patients (36.4%) had abnormal CTs; 7 (35%) of these patients were over the age of 60 years. There was a significant correlation between abnormal CTs and advancing age (r = 0.5, p &lt; 0.001). In the group with abnormal CTs the gender distribution was similar, 15 (75%) presented with a first episode of psychosis, 5 (25%) had a concurrent abnormal physical examination, and 7 (35%) had abnormal special investigations. There was no significant difference between this group and the group with normal CTs with regard to gender (χ2 = 0.75, p = 0.385), first-episode psychosis (χ2 = 2.76, p = 0.096), abnormal physical findings (χ2 = 0.51, p = 0.473), or abnormal laboratory findings (χ2 = 0.13, p = 0.714) respectively. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Conclusion.</strong> In this psychiatric population CT scanning revealed a significant number of abnormalities, especially in patients with first-episode psychosis. The study also suggests that clinical abnormalities (physical and laboratory) may not be reliable predictors of abnormal CTs and therefore the need for further research with bigger sample size.</p>


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