DURHAM, N.C., July 5 Some people with schizophrenia who become violent may do so for reasons unrelated to their current illness, according to a U.S. study.
"Most people with schizophrenia are not violent," Dr. Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, in Bethesda, Md., said in a statement.
"But this study indicates that the likelihood of violence is higher among people with schizophrenia who also have a history of other disorders, namely childhood conduct problems."
Using data from 1,445 Clinical Antipsychotic Trials for Intervention Effectiveness participants, the study found the overall percentage of participants who committed acts of violence was 19 percent, according to study leader Jeffrey Swanson, of Duke University in Durham, N.C.
Those with a history of childhood conduct problems reported violence twice as frequently -- 28 percent -- as those without conduct problems -- 14 percent.
In both groups, violence was more likely among those who were unemployed or underemployed; living with family or in restrictive settings such as a halfway house or hospital; or had recently been arrested or involved with the police, according to the study published online in the journal Law and Human Behavior.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
