Psychotic Symptoms, Anger, and Anxiety as Determinants of Agrresive Behavior

As an introduction on the topic of this dissertation, it might be interesting to look at some other cases of psychiatric patients that displayed clear-cut aggressive behavior towards other persons: Case 1. Twenty-nine-year-old man, who stabbed his mother’s fiancé in the chest with the intention to kill. He was on leave from a mental hospital where he had been admitted for the past eight years. Case 2. Forty-four-year-old man, who has regularly been treated in mental hospitals over the past 15 years under the diagnosis schizophrenia. He had now been moved out to an apartment in the community. In connection with alcohol abuse, he murdered his male drinking partner by repeatedly stabbing him in the back as well as in the chest and the head. He states that he had not been feeling well for the last couple of weeks prior to the attack, but he had not taken his medication. Case 3. Twenty-year-old man, with no known previous psychiatric symptoms. He tried to kill his younger brother by pounding his head repeatedly (more than 40 times) against a stone floor. Case 4. Thirty-year-old woman, who has regularly been treated in mental hospitals for many years, mostly under the diagnosis paranoia. She has made several suicide attempts. Here she tried to kill her mother by first strangling her with an electric cable and then by setting her bed on fire. She stated that her mother both read her mind and took it away from her. Case 5. Twenty-nine-year-old man, regularly treated with neuroleptics as well as electro-convulsive shock treatment in mental hospitals over a period of several years. He has repeatedly been the subject of involuntary psychiatric treatment after having threatened to kill his grandmother. Finally, he stabbed her to death with a knife to the heart. He stated that he felt persecuted by his grandmother. Case 6. Twenty-nine-year-old man, regularly treated in mental hospitals for the past decade, mostly for depression. He tried to kill his father by stabbing him with a knife in the chest. He has not given any explanation for his action. Just a month prior to the crime, he was discharged from a mental hospital where he was the subject of involuntary psychiatric treatment. Case 7. Forty-six-year-old man, regularly treated in mental hospitals for many years, usually with a diagnosis of paranoia. He often complained that his food was poisoned and that he was being persecuted. He tried to kill a female neighbor by hitting her repeatedly with a crowbar. During the month prior to the crime, he had not bothered to take his neuroleptics. Case 8. Sixteen-year-old man, with no previous contact with psychiatry. He had, though, a troublesome adolescence including alcohol and drug abuse, and criminality. He entered a police station and tried to fire a loaded gun at a police officer (the gun misfired). Case 9. Forty-six-year-old man, living in a hostel for alcohol abusers. He had no known history of mental illness, although he did have a severe drinking problem. He stabbed his roommate to death, after they had become disunite.

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