Clinical and legal correlates of inmates with bipolar disorder at time of criminal arrest.
BACKGROUND
In an effort to determine illness factors associated with criminality among bipolar patients, we identified bipolar arrestees housed in the psychiatric division of the Los Angeles County Jail who had a history of psychiatric treatment in the Los Angeles County community mental health system.


METHODS
Los Angeles County's computerized management information system was utilized to retrospectively identify all inmates evaluated over a 7-month period from July 1999 to Jan. 2000 with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, their symptoms at time of arrest, and the nature of community treatment preceding arrest. Criminal history was assessed using Sheriff's Department legal records. Demographic and clinical characteristics of these inmates were compared with characteristics present in a group of hospitalized bipolar patients without a history of arrest in Los Angeles County.


RESULTS
Of the 66 inmates identified as having a clear diagnosis of bipolar disorder with previous community treatment in the Los Angeles County Mental Health system, the majority were manic (49/66, 74.2%) and psychotic (39/66, 59%) at time of arrest. Manic arrestees were recently released from community inpatient treatment and most were not involved in outpatient treatment postdischarge. The bipolar inmates had significantly higher rates of comorbid substance abuse than did the hospitalized bipolar patients without an arrest history (75.8% [50/66]) vs. 18.5% [10/54]).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that manic symptoms place bipolar patients at significant risk for criminal offending and arrest. Intensive treatment intervention by the community mental health and criminal justice system may be needed, particularly in the immediate postmanic hospitalization period, in order to prevent incarceration of patients with bipolar disorder.
Department of Psychiatry, Forensic Division, University of California-Davis, 2230 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. cdquanbeck@ucdavis.edu
Cameron D
CD
Quanbeck
David C
DC
Stone
Charles L
CL
Scott
Barbara E
BE
McDermott
Lori L
LL
Altshuler
Mark A
MA
Frye
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011329:Prisoners / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data