Violent behavior by women involuntarily committed to a forensic
psychiatric hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Abstract
Objective: The goal of the current study was to evaluate the
sociodemographic, criminological, and psychiatric characteristics of the
full sample of female violent offenders committed involuntarily to a
forensic psychiatric hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Method:
Psychiatric assessment using SCID-IV in all the female violent offenders
treated in the only forensic psychiatric hospital in the state. Results:
Most offenders (n = 29) were non-Caucasian single women with very low
income. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis. Most patients had
already been diagnosed with a mental disorder and placed under
psychiatric treatment, but dropout and non-adherence were common.
Conclusion: Violent behavior in mentally ill female offenders may at
least partially reflect the failure of mental health and social services
to provide much-needed support for economically and socially vulnerable
women.