The temporal relationship between schizophrenia and crime.
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.
Munkner
Runa
R
The Psychiatric Department P, Glostrup University Hospital, Ndr. Ringvej, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark. rumu@glostruphosp.kbhamt.dk
Haastrup
Soeren
S
Joergensen
Torben
T
Kramp
Peter
P
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