U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Relationship of Mental Disorder to Violent Behavior

NCJ Number
114987
Author(s)
J J Collins; S L Bailey; C D Phillips; A Craddock
Date Published
1988
Length
87 pages
Annotation
This report examines the relationship between mental disorder and violence and uses a multivariate methodology to test the relationship of specific mental disorders to violence.
Abstract
Separate chapters examine the relationship between violence and schizophrenia, mood disorders, traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol disorders. Still another chapter examines the relationship between mental disorder and inmates' behavior. Each of these chapters can be read as a separate and full report and each contains its own literature review and methodology section. A separate chapter refutes as inaccurate and counterproductive a recent study that concluded that no relationship between mental disorder and crime exists when other factors are controlled. Among the major findings reported are that relationships do exist between violence and several of the disorders studied. The findings thus indicate the value of assessing the relationship between mental disorder and violence by using specific symptom and disorder measures. A discussion of the public policy implications of the findings is included. 150 references.