Mental disorders, violence and offending

Question 1

Aggression - is any behavior that is hostile, injurious, or destructive and has the potential to inflict injury or damage to persons or objects.

Answer 1

Non-violent such as harassment and verbal assaults toward others,
Violent use of physical force or power that results in injury or harm.

Question 2

Premeditated aggression

Answer 2

also termed instrumental, proactive, or predatory aggression – is a violent act that is planned and deliberately conceived.

Question 3

Impulsive aggression

Answer 3

also termed reactive or affective aggression – is affectively driven, and is accompanied by high levels of autonomic arousal.

Question 4

Schizophrenia and criminal offending:

Answer 4

• individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia were significantly more likely to be convicted of a criminal offense than their community sample counterparts
• Overall frequency of violent offences were higher in the patients with schiz
• Patients w schiz were also more likely to commit substance related offences than the comity sample.

Question 5

What are the positive and negative symptoms of Schizophrenia?

Answer 5

Positive symptoms:
- hallucinations 
- delusions
- thought disorders
Negative symptoms:
- Avolition (lack of drive/motivation)
- lack of emotions
- asociality
- Bizarre behaviors arising from these belief systems and affect

Question 6

Schizophrenia and Personality disorder:

Answer 6

• elevated risk of violence in schizophrenia has been linked to borderline and antisocial personality disorders

Question 7

Link between violence and impairments in socio-cognitive abilities:

Answer 7

• Theory of mind (or mentalizing).
• Empathy.
• Lack of empathy and ToM can be a risk factor for violence - may lead to perceive others intention as threatening.
• Evidence - the ability to make empathetic inferences is associated with a decrease in the likelihood of violence engagement.