Schizophrenia & Violent Behavior. Psychology Essay

Schizophrenia and Violent Behavior
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Schizophrenia and Violent Behavior
For many decades, mental disorders have been associated with offending behavior, particularly, violent offending. As asserted by (Jones, 2006, pg. 383), compared to the general public, individuals with schizophrenia are more likely to be apprehended. Jones argues that investigating the connection between violent behavior and schizophrenia requires the assessment of studies that focus primarily on offending rates and convicted offenders in psychiatric populations. These studies show that Psychopathy and Schizophrenia are two disorders that are most affiliated with offending. This paper provides a concise overview of the incidence, prevalence, risk factors, and prevention efforts of schizophrenia.
Incidence
According to the WHO 10-country study, the incidence rates of schizophrenia per year range between 0.1 and 0.4 per 1000 population. When differences in the definition of adulthood, case-finding methods, and diagnostic assessment are taken into account, the incidence of schizophrenia is surprisingly similar in different geographic locations. High incidence rates are seen in some socially disadvantaged groups, especially groups consisting of ethnic minorities such as Western Europe (Barbato, 1997, pg. 6).
Prevalence
One-year prevalence “for adults ranges between 1 and 7.5 per 1000, point prevalence between 1 and 17 per 1000, and lifetime prevalence between 1 and 18 per 1000” (Barbato, 1997, pg. 7). Differences in prevalence are associated with numerous factors including migration and death rates, and differences in recovery among the affected individuals. High prevalence rates are seen in small areas of Northern and Central Europe, in various populations living on the margins of the industrialized world, and some segregated groups in North America. With the above figures, the number of individuals with schizophrenia can be approximated to around 29 million, of whom 20 million live in the least developed countries.
Risk Factors