Personality disorders and psychoses form two distinct subgroups of homicide among female offenders

This study examined circumstances of homicide by women in relation to their subsequent diagnoses. We investigated the written reports of forensic psyc hiatric examinations on 125 Finnish women who committed murder, attempted m urder, manslaughter, or attempted manslaughter during 1982-92. In 86% of th e cases the victims were adults, in 15% children. Intimate partners were th e victims in 54% of the cases. Stabbing was the most frequent method and a quarrel the most frequent motive. The diagnoses of personality disorders an d psychoses formed distinct subgroups. Psychotic women attacked proportiona lly more children than the personality disordered, who mainly attacked adul ts. Personality disordered women were more likely to have been intoxicated with alcohol at the time. Future treatment programmes and studies are sugge sted.