Violence, stigma and psychiatric diagnosis: the effects of a history of violence on psychiatric diagnosis

White Matter Correlates of Hostility and Aggression in the Visuospatial Function Network in Patients With Schizophrenia

Background: Violent acts in patients with schizophrenia are often associated with their hostility and aggression levels. Poor visuospatial processing has been suggested as a possible risk factor of violence in schizophrenia. However, studies investigating the relationship between hostility, aggression, and the visuospatial function have been lacking. Here, we aimed to investigate brain dysconnectivity associated with hostility and aggression in schizophrenia, particularly focusing on the visuospatial function network. Methods: Eighty-eight participants with schizophrenia and 42 healthy controls were enrolled. The visuospatial function network regions of interest were analyzed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics. The hostility item from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), aggressive, and agitated behavior item from the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), and the Rey Complex Figure Test (R-CFT) were measured. Results: Among the participants with schizophrenia, the SAPS aggressive and agitated behavior scores were significantly correlated with fractional anisotropies (FAs) of the white matter regions in the splenium of the corpus callosum (CC), left posterior thalamic radiations (PTR), and left posterior corona radiata (PCR). Exploratory correlational analysis revealed significant negative correlations between FAs of the splenium of the CC and R-CFT copy and immediate recall scores. In addition, three regions including CC, PTR, and PCR that significantly correlated with the aggression scores showed significant correlations with the total PANSS scores. Conclusion: Our main finding suggests that aggression of patients with schizophrenia may be associated with poor visuospatial ability and underlying white matter dysconnectivity. These may help enhance understanding aggression in patients with schizophrenia.

Mood disorders and violence: a new focus

Violent behaviour in people with a psychiatric disorder causes great public concern and leads to stigma for people with mental illness. There is good evidence for a correlation between schizophrenia and increased rates of violence but any association between mood disorders and violence has been comparatively overlooked. It appears that there may be more evidence relating mood disorders and violence than many clinicians realise. This article highlights the difficulties in assessing this, summarises what is known and discusses what this means for clinical practice.

Psychiatrists' view on the risk factors for aggressive behavior in psychotic patients

In meta-analytic studies it was found that patients diagnosed with a psychotic disorder are at increased risk for displaying violent behavior. However, it remains largely unclear which specific factors contribute to the heightened risk for aggression in this patient group, nor what the views of psychiatrists are on this issue. A cross-sectional survey study was carried out and a survey questionnaire was developed to investigate the view of 652 psychiatrists on the relative contributions of various factors (e.g., illness related, personality, social influences) that might explain aggression in psychosis. It was found that psychiatrists generally view illness-related features as the most important determinant of aggression in these patients, followed by impulsivity/lack of insight and social influences, whereas personality characteristics are considered as least relevant. Latent class cluster analysis revealed that there are several subgroups of psychiatrists who attach different levels of importance to various types of risk factors. In these subgroups, two cluster contrasts were found: one representing differences in response style, and one representing differences in the evaluation of personality characteristics. Overall, psychiatrists seem to adopt a medical model when interpreting aggression in psychotic patients, although several subgroups of psychiatrists can be identified who have different opinions of such behavior.

Violent behaviour among people with schizophrenia: a framework for investigations of causes, and effective treatment, and prevention

Robust evidence has accumulated showing that individuals who develop schizophrenia are at elevated risk when compared to the general population to engage in violence towards others. This violence impacts negatively on victims as well as perpetrators and poses a significant financial burden to society. It is posited that among violent offenders with schizophrenia there are three distinct types defined by the age of onset of antisocial and violent behaviour. The early starters display a pattern of antisocial behaviour that emerges in childhood or early adolescence, well before illness onset, and that remains stable across the lifespan. The largest group of violent offenders with schizophrenia show no antisocial behaviour prior to the onset of the illness and then repeatedly engage in aggressive behaviour towards others. A small group of individuals who display a chronic course of schizophrenia show no aggressive behaviour for one or two decades after illness onset and then engage in serious violence, often killing, those who care for them. We hypothesize that both the developmental processes and the proximal factors, such as symptoms of psychosis and drug misuse, associated with violent behaviour differ for the three types of offenders with schizophrenia, as do their needs for treatment.

A survey of psychiatrists' attitudes to schizoaffective disorder

Objective. Schizoaffective disorder is an established diagnosis in both ICD-10 and DSM-IV, but research evidence relating to its nosological status and aetiology is conflicting. This study aimed to examine the attitudes of practising consultant psychiatrists, and to see whether there is a consensus about its classification and value in everyday clinical psychiatry. Method. A questionnaire was mailed to 2000 consultant psychiatrists drawn randomly from the membership list of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom. Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement with a series of statements about schizoaffective disorder and give some basic demographic data. Results. Of over 800 respondents, almost all reported using the diagnosis in clinical practice, but a small minority reported that they never use the diagnosis. Most psychiatrists considered the diagnosis to be clinically useful but there was little agreement about its nature, its relationship to other mental illnesses, its aetiology, or its characteristic clinical features. Conclusions. Schizoaffective disorder is an established diagnosis in psychiatric practice and is valued by clinicians but there is little consensus of opinion or practice in relation to it. Psychiatrists should be careful to use the diagnosis in accordance with current classificatory schemes, and further research should continue to investigate both its conceptual validity and its use in clinical practice.