title: Crime and psychiatric disorders among youth in the US population: an analysis of the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Current knowledge regarding psychiatric disorders and crime in youth is limited to juvenile justice and community samples. This study examined relationships between psychiatric disorders and self-reported crime involvement in a sample of youth representative of the US population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (N = 10,123; ages 13-17 years; 2001-2004) was used to examine the relationship between lifetime DSM-IV-based diagnoses, reported crime (property, violent, other), and arrest history. Logistic regression compared the odds of reported crime involvement with specific psychiatric disorders to those without any diagnoses, and examined the odds of crime by psychiatric comorbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of crime was 18.4%. Youth with lifetime psychiatric disorders, compared to no disorders, had significantly greater odds of crime, including violent crime. For violent crime resulting in arrest, conduct disorder (CD) (odds ratio OR = 57.5; 95% CI = 30.4, 108.8), alcohol use disorders (OR = 19.5; 95% CI = 8.8, 43.2), and drug use disorders (OR = 16.1; 95% CI = 9.3, 27.7) had the greatest odds with similar findings for violent crime with no arrest. Psychiatric comorbidity increased the odds of crime. Youth with 3 or more diagnoses (16.0% of population) accounted for 54.1% of those reporting arrest for violent crime. Youth with at least 1 diagnosis committed 85.8% of crime, which was reduced to 67.9% by removing individuals with CD. Importantly, 88.2% of youth with mental illness reported never having committed any crime.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings highlight the importance of improving access to mental health services for youthful offenders in community settings, given the substantial associations found between mental illness and crime in this nationally representative epidemiological sample.
authors: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
authors: Kendell L
authors: KL
authors: Coker
authors: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; School of Public Health at Yale University School of Medicine.
authors: Philip H
authors: PH
authors: Smith
authors: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Yale Child Study Center.
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Westphal
authors: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
authors: Howard V
authors: HV
authors: Zonana
authors: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Electronic address: sherry.mckee@yale.edu.
authors: Sherry A
authors: SA
authors: McKee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015897:Comorbidity; D003415:Crime / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: US population; arrest; crime; psychiatric disorders; youth