Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T10:02:56.518Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

On Serious Violence during Sleep-Walking

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Ian Oswald  and
John Evans
Ian Oswald*
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH105HF
John Evans
Affiliation:
Young People's Unit, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF
*
∗Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

It is not sufficiently realised that sleep-walking is not an hysterical condition, nor in any way related to epilepsy, nor that it can be accompanied by violent injury to the self or others. Three case reports here include that of a 14-year-old boy who rose from his bed at 2 a.m. and severely stabbed his five-year-old girl cousin. The sleeping mind is not in touch with reality and amnesia for events during sleep is usual.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 147 , Issue 6 , December 1985 , pp. 688 - 691
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Fisher, C., Kahn, E., Edwards, A., Davis, D. M. & Fine, J. (1974) A physiological study of nightmates and night terrors III. Mental content and recall of stage 4 night terrors. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 158, 174–188.Google Scholar
Gastaut, H. & Broughton, R. (1965) A clinical and polygraphic study of episodic phenomena during sleep. Recent Advances in Biological Psychiatry, 7, 197–221.Google Scholar
Janet, P. (1925) Principles of Psychotherapy. London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Jones, E. (1931) On the Nightmare. London: Hogarth Press.Google Scholar
Kales, A., Jacobson, A., Paulson, M. J., Kales, J. D. & Walter, R. D. (1966) Somnabulism: psychophysiological correlates. Archives of General Psychiatry, 14, 586–594.Google Scholar
Kales, A., Soldatos, C. R., Caldwell, A. B., Kales, J. D., Humphrey, F. J., Charney, D. S. & Schweitzer, P. K. (1980) Somnabulism: clinical characteristics and personality patterns. Archives of General Psychiatry, 37, 1406–1410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kanner, L. (1935) Child Psychiatry. London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legal Correspondent (1970) Sleep walking and guilt. British Medical Journal, ii, 186.Google Scholar
Legal Correspondent (1983) Insanity at law. British Medical Journal, 287, 694–695.Google Scholar
Pai, M. N. (1946) Sleep-walking and sleep activities. Journal of Mental Science, 92, 756–765.Google Scholar
Soldatos, C. R., Vela-Bueno, A., Bixler, E. O., Schweitzer, P. K. & Kales, A. (1980) Sleep walking and night terrors in adulthood: clinical EEG findings. Clinical Electroencephalography, 11, 136–139.Google Scholar
Tassinari, C. A., Mancia, D., Bernardina, B. D. & Gastaut, H. (1972) Pavor nocturnus of non-epileptic nature in epileptic children. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 33, 603–607.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The Times (1978) May 3rd, p. 5.Google Scholar
Walker, N. (1968) Crime and Insanity in England. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh Press.Google Scholar
Yellowlees, D. (1878) Homicide by a somnabulist. Journal of Mental Science, 24, 451–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.