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Violence and psychosis: Clinical evidences from an Early Intervention Program

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

O. Mentxaka ,
M. Recio-Barbero ,
E. Arana-Arri  and
R. Segarra
O. Mentxaka
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cruces University Hospital Early Stages of Psychosis Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo Department of Psychiatry, University of the Basque Country, Leioa
M. Recio-Barbero*
Affiliation:
Early Stages of Psychosis Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo Department of Psychiatry, University of the Basque Country, Leioa
E. Arana-Arri
Affiliation:
Scientific Coordinator, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo
R. Segarra
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Cruces University Hospital Early Stages of Psychosis Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo Department of Psychiatry, University of the Basque Country, Leioa Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Leioa, Spain
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Psychotic disorders are frequently linked to a public perception of dangerousness and propensity to engage in violent acts. Despite efforts to demystify these disorders, the evidence on the relationship between violence and psychotic disorders is mixed. Together with media coverage of violent crime associating violence with the occurrence of a mental disorder, such a situation has contributed to the social stigmatisation of people with severe mental disorders and the consequent discrimination that this scenario entails. Despite efforts to demystify such disorders, the association between violent behaviour and psychosis remains unclear.

Objectives

This study aims to explore the incidence and main clinical characteristics associated to violent offences recorded in a cohort of patients presenting a First-Episode Psychosis (FEP).

Methods

Patients presenting with an affective or non-affective first psychotic episode were recruited from the First Episode Psychosis Intervention Program (CRUPEP) cohort between 2009 and 2016. The main clinical variables were collected, including medical-forensic records of patients registered at the Basque Institute of Forensic Medicine (BIFM), to retrieve any violent acts in which patients with FEP were involved, either as victims or as offenders.

Results

Overall, 79.5% (n=182) of CRUPEP patients had no violent record of crime or offence recorded in the BIFM. Annual crime rates for the 2009–2016 period show a decreasing trend in both the general population (IRR=0.981 (95%CI=0.978–0.983) p<0.001) and in patients with FEPs (IRR=0.019 (95%CI=0.012–0.028) p<0.001); this pattern is more pronounced the FEP group. Victimisation accounted for the vast majority of reported incidents; nevertheless, patients who have committed violent offences were mostly involved in intrafamily violence

Conclusions

Patients with FEP were not involved in a higher number of crime rates than the general population. The types of violent acts committed by FEP patients were heterogeneous, with extreme violence being particularly uncommon.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S133
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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