Psychotic dream-related aggression: A critical review and proposal

The relationship among parasomnias, sleep-related violence (SRV), and psychosis has neither been reported nor studied. The authors introduce the phenomenon of psychotic dream-related aggression (PDRA) and, through a review of the research on manifest dreams, the continuity of thinking across the sleep–wake cycle, and SRV, argue for its inclusion alongside the parasomnias of DSM-IV. Five cases are presented that illustrate this phenomenon, usually a male diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia whose violent act toward another was closely associated with the manifest content of his nocturnal dreams and his inability to test reality. Differential diagnostic criteria are proposed to separate PDRA from other parasomnias that may be related to violence. Treatment and forensic implications are discussed.     

Schizophrenia and impulsive aggression: A heuristic inquiry with forensic and clinical implications

Assessment of a violent act committed by an offender with schizophrenia typically focuses on whether the act was due to distortions in thought or perception, i.e., delusions or hallucination. An important but less appreciated feature is the impulsivity of the act, which can have forensic and therapeutic implications. Here a modification of Barratt's classification of aggressive behavior is presented that includes premeditated (instrumental), medical (secondary), impulsive (expressive), and compulsive (instrumental and expressive) aggression. Violence due to a mental condition such as schizophrenia is considered medical, but even aggression motivated by delusions or hallucinations can also be characterized as impulsive, premeditated, or compulsive. Although research on aggression and schizophrenia is limited with regard to the impulsivity–premeditation dimension and difficult to compare, current evidence suggests this to be an important consideration in the assessment of aggression in individuals with schizophrenia, important both forensically and therapeutically. Future research on the impulsive–premeditated quality of aggressive acts by offenders with schizophrenia—research wherein aggressive behavior is defined, situational context is clarified, and diagnostic criteria are explicitly followed—should further refine our understanding of the nature of aggressive acts associated with schizophrenia. Findings from such research will undoubtedly inform assessment, treatment, and forensic relevance of schizophrenia-related physical aggression. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Zusammenhang zwischen Art der strafbaren Handlung und Suizid in Haftanstalten der USA

Does the nature of the criminal charge or conviction influence whether a jail or prison inmate will take his life? In the United States several nationwide surveys provide relevant information for answering this question. Studies of jail suicides in 1979, 1985 and 1986 respectively indicated that most inmates who committed suicide were charged with nonviolent offenses including drug related or minor offenses. In more recent national surveys the rate of suicide among jail inmates charged with violent offenses was triple that for those charged with nonviolent offenses. Offenses with the highest rates of suicide were kidnapping, rape and homicide. In prisons, where the rate of suicide is much lower than in jails, the rate of suicide for violent prisoners was twice that for nonviolent prisoners. Violent offenses with the highest rates of suicide in prisons included kidnapping, homicide, sexual assault and assault. Discussion addresses the discrepant results between the early surveys of jail suicides and the more recent surveys of suicides in jails and prisons. Further explored are possible explanations for the earlier predominance of nonviolent offenses among suicide victims, the recently elevated rates among violent offenses, and the elevated rates among specific criminal offenses. Commentary is also given to the practical implications of these findings.     

Permanence and change in memory II. Reproduction of words in sentences

Abstract.— A retroactive interference paradigm was employed for studying qualitative memory changes. Sentences, containing an ambiguous word that was defined differently by succeeding words, were used as stimulus material. Such retroactive definitions of meaning were found to lead to qualitative changes in reproduction. It is suggested that the issue of permanence and change in memory may be related to the choice of lists of independent items or contextual units as stimulus material. A contextual theory of memory, implying the conception of memory in a stream, is advocated.