mental illness and offending Flashcards
what is a mental illness
variety of psychological conditions in which there is a characteristic disabling and distressing impairment in some aspect of the psychological functioning of the individual
what is the mental health act 2007
mental disorder defined as “any disorder of the mind”
mentally disordered people who commit offences should receive specialist mental health treatment rather than being punished
personality disorder
mental illness
learning disabilities
autism spectrum disorders
eating disorders
why is there a discrepancy between the number of people in prison with a mental health disorder compared to outside of prison?
confounding factors
1) socio-economic status
2) diagnostic bias
3) public perceptions
what 5 sections is the the DSM-V broken up into?
axis 1 = clinical disorders
axis 2 = personality disorders, mental retardation
axis 3 = general medical conditions
axis 4 = psychosocial and environmental problems
axis 5= global functioning
what is schizophrenia (DSM)?
complex mental illness in which sufferer has problems differentiating real experiences from unreal experiences, has problems thinking logically about issues and to behave as others do in social situations
what is the DSM criteria for Sz
delusions, hallucinations, disorganised speech, grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour, negative symptoms (e.g., avolition) etc
what is a general personality disorder
an enduring pattern of inner experience that behaviour deviates markedly from the norms and expectations of the individuals culture. manifested in two or more of:
- cognitions
- affectivity
- interpersonal functioning
- impulse control
what is antisocial personality disorder (DSM)
characterised by persistent disregard for the rights of others and violations of these rights. sufferers are considered deceitful and manipulative
term not applied to persons under 18 years of age
- failure to conform to social norms
- deceitfulness
- impulsivity
- irritability
- reckless
- lack of remorse
DSM diagnostic bias
violence as a diagnostic criterion
- DSM 1: 2% diagnoses included violence as diagnostic criterion
- DSM 3: 47% categories listed violence as a characteristic
what is the circularity in the diagnosis of mental illness
why do people commit terrible crimes of violence?
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because they are psychopaths
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how do we know they are psychopaths?
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because they commit terrible crimes of violence
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how does the media shape public belief of dangerousness of mentally ill
become more negative after highly publicised violent incidents involving the mentally ill
link et al
compared mental health patients to never treated community residents
mental health patients had higher rates of violent and illegal behaviour
difference was explained by psychotic symptoms
Swanson et al
community sample
those who said they engaged in violent behaviour
- 4x Sz or major affective disorder
- 14x substance abuse
- 17x mental disorder and substance abuse
Hodgins
study of 15000 people
men: 50% with major mental disorder were criminal
women: 19% of mentally ill were criminal
risks were somewhat greater for violent than non violent crime
what is co-morbidity
presence of a disease or condition additional to the one of primary interest and the resulting effect combined
mental illness often has co-morbidity with alcoholism/drug use
possible explanation of why there may be a link between mental illness and crime
the mentally ill are more likely to be victims of crime than other people
clinical aspects of violence
factors other than mental illness that affect the likelihood of violence
mental illnesses are not always associated with violence in the same way
mental illness not an invariant feature of a person’s life
command hallucinations: voices instruct person to do a certain act (possibly a crime)
smith and Taylor
study of male Sz sex offenders
- 94% had delusions/hallucinations at time of offence
- 51% of these, delusions were just coincidental and had no bearing on attack
- 18% gad delusions that appeared to be directly related to the sexual attack
McNeil
previous history of violence is the best predictor of future violence
gender is a poor predictor of violence in the mentally ill
being victimised increases the risk of acting violently
caregivers and nurses are at greatest risk of violence
poor social networks associated with violence
homelessness associated with violent behaviour
availability of weapons increases risk
responders to offenders with mental illnesses
- criminal justice system
- medical services such as hospitals
- voluntary services
- communities
- family
what is the interplay between the criminal justice system and the medical systems
problematic individuals will be diverted into one or the other depending on the capacity there is in the medical system
what happens at end of sentence?
parole board will consider
- behaviour in prison
- plans upon release
- likelihood of reoffending
- danger to public
- reason for prison sentence
- previous offences
- what judge said at sentencing
- victim impact statement
