VIOLENCE AND PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDERS - RESULTS FROM AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF YOUNG-ADULTS IN ISRAEL

This paper investigates the association between various psychiatric di sorders and violent behavior using data from a community-based epidemi ological study of young adults in Israel (N = 2678). Self-reports of r ecent fighting and weapon use were elevated among respondents diagnose d with psychotic or bipolar disorders but not among those diagnosed wi th non-psychotic depression, generalized anxiety disorder or phobias c ompared to respondents without these disorders. Violence was measured using the Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview; psychiatric dis orders were diagnosed using a modified version of the Schedule for Aff ective Disorders and Schizophrenia. The analyses controlled for lifeti me substance abuse, antisocial personality disorder and demographic ch aracteristics, thereby extending support for a causal connection betwe en some types of psychiatric disorders and violence. The association b etween disorder and violence was stronger among respondents with less education, indicating the potentially important role of social and cul tural contexts in moderating the association between mental illness an d violence.