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Substance Misuse and Violence: A Comparison of Special Hospital Inpatients Diagnosed With Either Schizophrenia or Personality Disorder

NCJ Number
176581
Journal
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: 1998 Pages: 311-321
Author(s)
M Corbett; C Duggan; E Larkin
Date Published
1995
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The relationship between drug abuse, schizophrenia, and serious violence was examined by means of a comparison of drug abuse among persons in hospitals in England who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and among a matched group with personality disorder.
Abstract
The research also compared those with and without a history of drug abuse at the time of the violent index. The research sample was selected from psychiatric patients admitted to three English high-security hospitals between 1972 and 1995; the majority had been convicted of violent offenses. The study matched 75 drug-abusing persons with schizophrenia with a group with personality disorder and compared the types of drugs misused in both groups. These two groups were also compared with a larger sample of hospital patients without a history of drug abuse to determine the presence of drug abuse at the time of the index offense. Results revealed no differences between the matched groups in their choice of drugs. In addition, drug-abusing males with a personality disorder were significantly more likely to have consumed alcohol at the time of the violent offense compared with the other groups. Although the reporting of drug abuse was unexpectedly low, the data produced no evidence that those with schizophrenia preferentially chose to misuse specific types of drugs compared with those with personality disorders. In addition findings indicated that intoxication with alcohol at the time of the violence offense may be important in males with a personality disorder and a history of drug abuse. Tables and 21 references (Author abstract modified)