title: Homicide in the Canadian prairies: spousal killers, amnesia and self-harm.
abstract: This study identifies the incidence of claims of amnesia in homicide offenders and explores the associations with other psychopathology. It is a retrospective file review and analysis of 901 nonselective, adult men convicted of homicide. Claims of amnesia occurred in 31% (280) of the total homicide population and 46% of spousal killers compared to 28% of non-spousal killers. Claims in both groups were significantly associated with alcohol use and in the spousal group with actual or threats of self-harm at the time of the killing. Spousal killers were more likely to claim some degree of amnesia for the homicide and engage in or threaten self-harm after the killing. These and other features suggest that some spousal killers may have borderline personality traits/disorders. This study proposes a new classification for spousal homicides.
authors.affiliation: University of Saskatchewan, Knox Manse, 505, 4th Avenue North, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7K 2M5, Canada. bogey@sasktel.net
authors.forename: Robin P D
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Menzies
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D006708:Homicide / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior; D018454:Spouses