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ABSTRACT
Background: While various studies have revealed a correlation between major psychiatric disorders and violent behavior, studies focusing on the demographic, criminal, and psychiatric characteristics of murderers and their behavior at the scene of the crime are relatively scarce. The aim of this study is therefore to examine these characteristics of murderers who committed murder due to insanity and to analyze their behavior at the scene of crime.
Method: The study was conducted at the maximum secure unit of Sha'ar Menashe Mental Health Center and reviewed all files of the 69 inpatients who have committed murder and been admitted to the unit since its opening in 1997.
Results: 93% of the participants were diagnosed with schizophrenia, 70% had at least one psychiatric hospitalization before committing the crime, 57% did not adhere to medications between hospitalizations, 33% took medications sporadically, and 42% of those diagnosed with a psychotic disorder prior to the murder did not regularly attend their psychiatric follow-up. Regarding the crime, in 91% of the cases, the victim was known to the murderer, 69% of the murders were brutal, 47% of the murderers remained at the scene after committing the murder and only 30% left.
Conclusion: The findings offer a better understanding of the factors and motivations leading individuals with psychotic disorder to commit violent crimes and murder and their behavior at the scene of the crime. This may assist in identifying at-risk populations and developing and implementing relevant prevention programs.
INTRODUCTION
In the last three decades, various studies have indicated a significant correlation between mental disorders, mainly schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and violent behavior (1-4); it should, however, be stated that most individuals with mental disorders are not violent (5). According to these studies and others (6, 7), most individuals with mental disorders who were involved in violent offenses suffer from schizophrenia and a significant portion of their violent acts occurred during a psychotic episode under the influence of delusions and/or hallucinations (8, 9).
A close examination of the studies that focused on murderers who committed murder due to insanity reveals that most of them focused on the psychiatric characteristics of the offenders and their relationships with the victims (10, 11). Relatively few studies have addressed this topic with regards to...