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A Case of Insane Automatism?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Rosemarie V. Cope  and
W. Martin Donovan
Rosemarie V. Cope
Affiliation:
Midland Centre for Forensic Psychiatry, All Saints' Hospital, Lodge Road, Birmingham B18 5SD
W. Martin Donovan
Affiliation:
Midland Centre for Forensic Psychiatry, All Saints' Hospital, Lodge Road, Birmingham B18 5SD
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Extract

Epileptic automatism is now believed to be a rare disorder, and only a very small number of cases have been described (Knox, 1968; Gunn and Fenton, 1971; and Gunn, 1978) in which aggressive behaviour has occurred during automatism. There are important legal issues involved if a serious crime is committed and insane automatism is given as the defence.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 135 , Issue 6 , December 1979 , pp. 574 - 575
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1979 

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References

Bartholomew, A. A., Milte, K. L. & Galbally, F. (1978) Correspondence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 564.Google Scholar
Gunn, J. & Fenton, G. (1971) Epilepsy, automatism and crime. Lancet, i, 1173–6.Google Scholar
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Home Office, DHSS (1975) Report of the Committee on Mentally Abnormal Offenders. London: HMSO Cmnd. 6244, 224–5.Google Scholar
Jennett, B. (1975) Epilepsy after Non-missile Head Injuries, 2nd edition. London: Heinemann.Google Scholar
Knox, S. J. (1968) Epileptic automatism and violence. Medicine, Science and the Law, 8, 96–104.Google Scholar
Milne, H. B. (1979) Correspondence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 547.Google Scholar
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