EPILEPSY AND VIOLENCE IN MENTALLY ABNORMAL OFFENDERS IN A MAXIMUM SECURITY MENTAL-HOSPITAL

A retrospective study of the relationship between epilepsy and violenc e in mentally abnormal offenders is described. All patients were ident ified with a pread-mission diagnosis of epilepsy who were in Broadmoor Hospital, a maximum security mental hospital for offenders in England , on November 17, 1992. The diagnosis of epilepsy in these patients, t heir violence ratings, and brain investigation findings were reviewed. Excluding those with neuroleptic-induced seizures, nonepileptic seizu res, and equivocal episodic behaviours, the prevalence of epilepsy in Broadmoor Hospital was 2.7% (male) and 2% (female) in this study. This prevalence is lower than previous estimates. Patients with epilepsy w ere not different from patients without epilepsy in terms of their vio lence ratings. There was no obvious association between criminal behav iour and seizures in these patients with epilepsy, confirming previous findings. Careful assessment of offenders with a preadmission diagnos is of seizures in a maximum security hospital setting can help improve the diagnosis of epilepsy and avoid incorrect attribution of violence and offence to epilepsy.