title: The temporal relationship between schizophrenia and crime.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the temporal relationship between illness onset and the possible beginning of a criminal career among people with schizophrenia, even though criminality, especially violent criminality, has been shown to be more common among people with schizophrenia than among people in general.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to analyse the temporal relationship between registered crime and contact to the psychiatric hospital system.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a register-based study merging data on the psychiatric career with criminal records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the males with schizophrenia, 37% started a criminal career and 13% had committed first violent crime before first contact with the psychiatric hospital system.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The criminality committed before first contact to the psychiatric hospital system is substantial, especially among males with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: The Psychiatric Department P, Glostrup University Hospital, Ndr. Ringvej, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark. rumu@glostruphosp.kbhamt.dk
authors.forename: Runa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Munkner
authors.forename: Soeren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haastrup
authors.forename: Torben
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Joergensen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kramp
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003417:Criminal Psychology; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology