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1.
Behav Sci Law ; 41(5): 432-444, 2023.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36938899

RESUMO

Insanity evaluations are often criticized for their-alleged-lack of objectivity, reliability and transparency. Structured tools to guide and support forensic evaluators during these evaluations have been developed-but they are rarely employed in forensic practice. In the present article, we consider the value of these tools for forensic practice in terms of opportunities and limitations. First, we briefly describe different insanity criteria used in Western countries. Next, we will review five structured instruments to guide insanity assessment together with their performance measures. Finally, we draw conclusions on the value of such instruments for forensic practice.


Assuntos
Transtornos Mentais , Transtornos Psicóticos , Humanos , Defesa por Insanidade , Psiquiatria Legal , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes
2.
Neuropsychobiology ; 81(4): 257-264, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35158360

RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) focused on the description of different biological correlates of illness. Morphological changes of different brain regions were involved in PTSD neurophysiopathology, being related to trauma or considered a resilience biomarker. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to investigate the grey matter changes reported in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on patients who have developed PTSD compared to exposed subjects who did not show a clinical PTSD onset. METHODS: We meta-analysed eight peer-reviewed MRI studies conducted on trauma-exposed patients and reported results corrected for false positives. We then conducted global and intergroup comparisons from neuroimaging data of two cohorts of included subjects. The included studies were conducted on 250 subjects, including 122 patients with PTSD and 128 non-PTSD subjects exposed to trauma. RESULTS: Applying a family-wise error correction, PTSD subjects compared to trauma-exposed non-PTSD individuals showed a significant volume reduction of a large left-sided grey matter cluster extended from the parahippocampal gyrus to the uncus, including the amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: These volumetric reductions are a major structural correlate of PTSD and can be related to the expression of symptoms. Future studies might consider these and other neural PTSD correlates, which may lead to the development of clinical applications for affected patients.


Assuntos
Substância Cinzenta , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos , Tonsila do Cerebelo/diagnóstico por imagem , Tonsila do Cerebelo/patologia , Substância Cinzenta/diagnóstico por imagem , Substância Cinzenta/patologia , Hipocampo/diagnóstico por imagem , Hipocampo/patologia , Humanos , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/diagnóstico por imagem
3.
Int Psychogeriatr ; 34(6): 529-542, 2022 06.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33583459

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: To perform a meta-analysis of clinical studies on the differences in treatment or research decision-making capacity among patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and healthy comparisons (HCs). DESIGN: A systematic search was conducted on Medline/Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Standardized mean differences and random-effects model were used in all cases. SETTING: The United States, France, Japan, and China. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and ten patients with MCI, 149 with AD, and 368 HCs were included. MEASUREMENTS: The studies we included in the analysis assessed decisional capacity to consent by the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MAcCAT-T), MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR), Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument (CCTI), and University of California Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent (UBACC). RESULTS: We identified 109 potentially eligible studies from 1672 records, and 7 papers were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that there was significant impairment in a decision-making capacity in MCI patients compared to the HCs group in terms of Understanding (SMD = -1.04, 95% CI: -1.31 to -0.77, P < 0.001; I2 = 52%, P = 0.07), Appreciation (SMD = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.66 to -0.36, P < 0.001; I2 = 0%, P = 0.97), and Reasoning (SMD = -0.62, 95% CI: -0.77, -0.47, P < 0.001; I2=0%, P =0.46). MCI patients scored significantly higher in Understanding (SMD = 1.50, 95% CI: 0.91, 2.09, P = 0.01, I2 = 78%, P = 0.00001) compared to patients affected by AD. CONCLUSIONS: Patients affected by MCI are at higher risk of impaired capacity to consent to treatment and research compared to HCs, despite being at lower risk compared to patients affected by AD. Clinicians and researchers need to carefully evaluate decisional capacity in MCI patients providing informed consent.


Assuntos
Doença de Alzheimer , Disfunção Cognitiva , Doença de Alzheimer/psicologia , Doença de Alzheimer/terapia , Disfunção Cognitiva/terapia , Tomada de Decisões , Humanos , Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido , Testes Neuropsicológicos
4.
J Trauma Stress ; 35(3): 804-812, 2022 06.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35229354

RESUMO

In the forensic field, most studies employing virtual reality (VR) interventions have focused on offenders. The validity and safety of VR applications for victims of crime are still unclear. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review on VR interventions for crime victims was performed to assess the efficacy, acceptability by patients, and cost-effectiveness of these interventions compared to in-person care. We identified 34 potentially eligible studies from 188 records obtained from database searches (Medline/Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus); four additional articles were identified via alternative sources. In total, nine articles were included for the qualitative synthesis. Patient satisfaction with VR interventions was found to be equivalent to face-to-face interventions. Both VR exposure and control groups found relief from posttraumatic symptoms, with differences either statistically insignificant or in favor of VR. Despite the increased costs linked to the technology required, VR appears to be a promising alternative to in vivo exposure, but further research is needed. Limitations of the review include the varied experimental protocols, which did not allow us to conduct a quantitative analysis and comparison of findings across different studies, and the generally poor quality of the studies included. Further research, preferably in larger groups, is needed to shed more light on the effectiveness of VR interventions for traumatized victims of crime.


Assuntos
Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos , Terapia de Exposição à Realidade Virtual , Realidade Virtual , Crime , Humanos , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/terapia , Terapia de Exposição à Realidade Virtual/métodos
5.
Int Rev Psychiatry ; 33(1-2): 119-125, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32543254

RESUMO

Involuntary psychiatric hospitalisation in Italy raises some critical forensic issues. We analysed the sociodemographic, psychopathological, and behavioural characteristics of involuntarily hospitalised psychiatric patients, and the effectiveness of the juridical procedure of guarantee. Case files (n = 2796) related to involuntary psychiatric hospitalisation (IPH) at the Office of the Tutelary Judge of the Ordinary Court of Rome (Italy) between January 2013 and May 2016 were analysed. For each case file sociodemographic, clinical and procedural information were collected. The sample included 53.7% men, patients had a mean age of 41.8 ± 13.9. Most of the IPH proposal certificates reported more than one reason, among which the most frequent were symptoms referring to a psychotic dimension (54.8%), agitation (38.0%), and symptoms of bipolar and related disorders (26.3%) Female patients showed a higher prevalence of symptoms of the bipolar spectrum (F = 29.7%, M = 23.3%; p < 0.05), while male patients showed a higher prevalence of aggressive behaviour (F = 7.7%, M = 12.6%; p < 0.01). Over 85% of the IPH proposal certificates did not explicitly mention issues related to adherence to care, which is the second criterium requested for IH (treatment refusal) and up to 7.3% of the proposals were not properly motivated. However, only 0.8% cases were not validated by the Tutelary Judge. Possible issues in the IPH procedures emerged since a significant number of certifications showed poor concordance with law- criteria for involuntary psychiatric hospitalisation. Despite this evidence, the low rate of unvalidated procedures by the Tutelary Judge, suggests a possible limitation of this form of guarantee.


Assuntos
Internação Compulsória de Doente Mental/legislação & jurisprudência , Hospitalização/legislação & jurisprudência , Transtornos Mentais/psicologia , Transtornos Mentais/terapia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Hospitais Psiquiátricos , Humanos , Itália , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Adulto Jovem
6.
Psychopathology ; 54(3): 136-143, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33910198

RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: The stress-diathesis model of psychotic disorders describes, in vulnerable individuals, the role of psychosocial stress in the onset and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms. Another interesting approach to the study of vulnerability in the development of psychosis is represented by the basic symptoms concept. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims at proposing an integration between these two models and investigating possible associations between psychotic symptoms, basic symptoms, perceived stress, and life events in a sample of patients affected by schizophrenia (SZ), schizoaffective (SA), and bipolar disorder with and without psychotic symptoms. METHODS: 112 patients were recruited in two university hospitals. Severity of psychiatric symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, PANSS), basic symptoms (Frankfurt Complaint Questionnaire, FCQ), perceived stress (Stress-related Vulnerability Scale, SVS), and life events (Paykel's interview for recent life events) were assessed. RESULTS: Patients affected by bipolar disorder (both with and without psychotic symptoms) showed a higher number of independent life events (p < 0.01) and tended to report more frequently at least 1 life event in the previous 6 months (p < 0.01) than patients affected by SZ or SA disorder. No differences emerged between the study groups in perceived stress nor in measures of basic symptoms. In the whole sample, a logistic regression analysis showed that the SVS total score (p < 0.05) and PANSS total score (p < 0.001) were associated with the presence of psychotic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In the study sample, life events and basic symptoms did not play a major role in influencing psychotic symptoms, compared to the subjective perception of stress and the severity of psychopathology. Taken together, these results can be informative for rehabilitation therapies aimed at enhancing resilience and coping strategies in this vulnerable group of patients.


Assuntos
Transtorno Bipolar/psicologia , Transtornos Psicóticos/diagnóstico , Esquizofrenia/diagnóstico , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Autorrelato
7.
Healthcare (Basel) ; 11(16)2023 Aug 11.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37628470

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: To help to tackle gender-based violence against women in the aftermath of COVID-19 or other potential crisis situations, as recommended by the European Institute for Gender Equality, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between calls to the National Anti-violence Number (NAN) and the socio-sanitary pandemic factors during 2021, a period in which the scenario changed due to containment measures that gradually allowed women to emerge from the condition of isolation. In addition, the present work aims to identify significant changes in the number of calls to NAN during the progression of the pandemic in 2021. METHODS: Using Italian Civil Protection Department data on the socio-sanitary pandemic factors (defined by daily number of cases, swabs, deaths, hospitalizations, dismissions, intensive care unit hospitalizations, people isolated at home, and quarantine after 15 and 30 days) and NAN data. Correlation analyses, a joinpoint regression analysis, and Granger causality tests were performed. RESULTS: The number of calls correlated with the daily number of cases, swabs, deaths, hospitalizations, dismissions, intensive care unit hospitalizations, and quarantine after 15 and 30 days. The identified joinpoints showed significant changes in the number of daily anti-violence calls during the year. Furthermore, we found evidence of a significant causality between daily hospitalizations, daily home quarantined, daily dismissed patients, and calls to NAN. CONCLUSIONS: The results underline the influence of containment measures on the increased access to NAN, suggesting the need for a greater implementation of social and psychological support services in other potential crisis situations.

8.
J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth ; 26(2): 265-9, 2012 Apr.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22051417

RESUMO

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate perioperative factors associated with the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients who underwent cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Single academic center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-eight consecutive patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were interviewed within the surgical unit 1 to 3 days before cardiac surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Six months after surgery, participants were mailed the modified version of the Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Inventory 10. Of the 71 patients who completed the questionnaire and mailed it back at follow-up, 14 (19.7%) received a diagnosis of PTSD. Seven of 13 female patients who were not treated with ß-blockers received a diagnosis of PTSD compared with 0 of 12 who were treated with ß-blockers (p = 0.005, Fisher exact test). In a general linear model, including sex and ß-blocker treatment as predictors, the Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Inventory 10 score was significantly predicted by ß-blockade (F = 4.74, p = 0.033), with a significant interaction between sex and ß-blockade (F = 9.72, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the use of ß-blockers might be protective against the development of PTSD in women after cardiac surgery.


Assuntos
Antagonistas Adrenérgicos beta/uso terapêutico , Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Cardíacos/efeitos adversos , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/tratamento farmacológico , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/epidemiologia , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/tratamento farmacológico , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/epidemiologia , Idoso , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Incidência , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/etiologia , Estudos Prospectivos , Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos/etiologia , Resultado do Tratamento
9.
Transl Psychiatry ; 12(1): 115, 2022 03 22.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35318308

RESUMO

The insanity defense represents one of the most controversial and debated evaluations performed by forensic psychiatrists and psychologists. Despite the variation among different jurisdictions, in Western countries, the legal standards for insanity often rely on the presence of cognitive and/or volitional impairment of the defendant at the time of the crime. We developed the defendant's insanity assessment support scale (DIASS) based on a wide view of competent decision-making, which reflects core issues relevant to legal insanity in many jurisdictions. To assess the characteristics of the DIASS we asked 40 forensic experts (16% women; years of experience = 20.6 ± 12.9) to evaluate 10 real-life derived forensic cases with the DIASS; cases included defendants' psychiatric symptom severity, evaluated through the 24-itemBrief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Exploratory factor analysis by principal axis factoring was conducted, which disclosed a two-factor solution explaining 57.6% of the total variance. The DIASS showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86), and substantial inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa = 0.72). The capacities analyzed through the DIASS were mainly affected by mania/excitement and psychotic dimensions in nonresponsible and with substantially diminished responsibility defendants, while by hostility and negative symptoms in responsible defendants. The DIASS proved to be an effective psychometric tool to guide and structure insanity defense evaluations, in order to improve their consistency and reliability.


Assuntos
Psiquiatria Legal , Transtornos Psicóticos , Feminino , Humanos , Defesa por Insanidade , Masculino , Transtornos Psicóticos/diagnóstico , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Comportamento Social
10.
Front Psychiatry ; 13: 1015914, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36532168

RESUMO

Background: Inpatient violence in clinical and forensic settings is still an ongoing challenge to organizations and practitioners. Existing risk assessment instruments show only moderate benefits in clinical practice, are time consuming, and seem to scarcely generalize across different populations. In the last years, machine learning (ML) models have been applied in the study of risk factors for aggressive episodes. The objective of this systematic review is to investigate the potential of ML for identifying risk of violence in clinical and forensic populations. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review on the use of ML techniques in predicting risk of violence of psychiatric patients in clinical and forensic settings was performed. A systematic search was conducted on Medline/Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Risk of bias and applicability assessment was performed using Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool (PROBAST). Results: We identified 182 potentially eligible studies from 2,259 records, and 8 papers were included in this systematic review. A wide variability in the experimental settings and characteristics of the enrolled samples emerged across studies, which probably represented the major cause for the absence of shared common predictors of violence found by the models learned. Nonetheless, a general trend toward a better performance of ML methods compared to structured violence risk assessment instruments in predicting risk of violent episodes emerged, with three out of eight studies with an AUC above 0.80. However, because of the varied experimental protocols, and heterogeneity in study populations, caution is needed when trying to quantitatively compare (e.g., in terms of AUC) and derive general conclusions from these approaches. Another limitation is represented by the overall quality of the included studies that suffer from objective limitations, difficult to overcome, such as the common use of retrospective data. Conclusion: Despite these limitations, ML models represent a promising approach in shedding light on predictive factors of violent episodes in clinical and forensic settings. Further research and more investments are required, preferably in large and prospective groups, to boost the application of ML models in clinical practice. Systematic review registration: [www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42022310410].

11.
Front Psychiatry ; 13: 1092784, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36684000

RESUMO

Introduction: Interest in identifying the clinical implications of the neuropathophysiological background of schizophrenia is rising, including changes in cortical gyrification that may be due to neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Inpatients with schizophrenia can show abnormal gyrification of cortical regions correlated with the symptom severity. Methods: Our study included 36 patients that suffered an acute episode of schizophrenia and have undergone structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to calculate the local gyrification index (LGI). Results: In the whole sample, the severity of symptoms significantly correlated with higher LGI in different cortical areas, including bilateral frontal, cingulate, parietal, temporal cortices, and right occipital cortex. Among these areas, patients with low hostility symptoms (LHS) compared to patients with high hostility symptoms (HHS) showed significantly lower LGI related to the severity of symptoms in bilateral frontal and temporal lobes. Discussion: The severity of psychopathology correlated with higher LGI in large portions of the cerebral cortex, possibly expressing abnormal neural development in schizophrenia. These findings could pave the way for further studies and future tailored diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

12.
J Am Acad Relig ; 89(2): 506-529, 2021 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34393662

RESUMO

Why do people find conspiracy theories attractive, convincing, or useful? In this article, I analyze conspirituality-that is, the relationships between New Age spirituality and conspiracy theories-in Italy during the COVID-19 lockdown. After distinguishing between conspiracy-believing and belief in conspiracies, I claim that conspiracy-believing could be understood as an aesthetic (sensory and artistic) practice. In doing so, I offer a novel interpretation on conspiracism that complements current scholarship while departing from the latter's focus on the cognitive and emotional weaknesses of those who adopt conspiracy theories. By engaging with the thought of Jacques Rancière, in conversation with studies on contemporary Paganism and Western esotericism, I consider the adoption of conspiracy theories as an expression of dissensus by a community of sense that does not look only for visibility but, rather, wants to be fully acknowledged, recognized, and legitimized in their "participatory"-or "magical"-way of inhabiting the world.

13.
Front Psychiatry ; 12: 684579, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34239465

RESUMO

Literature stressed the importance of using valid, reliable measures to assess anxiety in the perinatal period, like the self-rated Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS). We aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Italian PASS version in a sample of Italian women undergoing mental health screening during their third trimester of pregnancy and its diagnostic accuracy in a control perinatal sample of psychiatric outpatients. Sample comprised 289 women aged 33.17 ± 5.08, range 19-46 years, undergoing fetal monitoring during their third trimester of pregnancy, with 49 of them retested 6 months postpartum. Controls were 60 antenatal or postnatal psychiatric outpatients aged 35.71 ± 5.02, range 22-50 years. Groups were assessed through identical self- and clinician-rating scales. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Pearson's correlations and receiver operating characteristic were conducted for PASS. PCA and CPA confirmed four-factor structure with slight differences from the original version. Construct validity and test-retest reliability were supported. Cut-off was 26. The PASS correlated with principal anxiety scales. Despite small sample size, findings confirm reliability and validity of the Italian PASS version in assessing anxiety symptoms in the perinatal period. Its incorporation in perinatal care will improve future mother and child psychological health.

14.
J Forensic Sci ; 65(5): 1619-1626, 2020 Sep.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32453452

RESUMO

The present study was designed to compare gender differences in psychiatric diagnosis with the dimension of psychopathy in women and men who had attempted or committed homicide. The study samples consisted of 39 homicidal females and 48 homicidal males who were confined in one of Italy's REMS or prison facilities in two southern provinces of Italy (Puglia and Basilicata). Assessment instruments included the SCID-5, the PID-5 IRF, and the PCL-R. Each gender group was stratified according to the level of criminal responsibility for the homicidal offense (full, partial, absent), and after assessments, according to the degree of the psychopathic dimension. There were clear gender differences in homicidal individuals. Female offenders were less likely to have had a record of criminal charges/convictions or imprisonment, and their homicides were more often intrafamilial, victimizing especially of their children, whereas males targeted intimate partners and extrafamilial victims. In the entire group, there was an inverse relationship between the level of psychopathy and the personality disorder on one side, and the psychotic disturbance on the other. Factor 2 (lifestyle/antisocial dimension) of the PCL-R was higher among the homicidal males, whereas females tended to score higher on Factor 1 (the interpersonal/affective dimension). Finally, if the psychopathic dimension is a qualifier for antisocial personality disorder, as indicated in DSM-5, this appears to be less true for females who tend to have other personality disorders.


Assuntos
Homicídio/psicologia , Transtornos Mentais/epidemiologia , Vítimas de Crime/estatística & dados numéricos , Criminosos/psicologia , Feminino , Psiquiatria Legal , Humanos , Itália , Masculino , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Fatores Sexuais
15.
Riv Psichiatr ; 44(4): 214-25, 2009.
Artigo em Italiano | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20066794

RESUMO

Nightmares are long frightening dreams, quite common in psychiatric and general population; they may cause psychological distress and social or occupational dysfunction and are the most common form of parasomnia. They can be divided into post-traumatic nightmares, which are part of post-traumatic stress reaction, idiopathic and stress-induced. This article is a review of studies evaluating the relationship between nightmares and psychopathology, especially in regard to their intensity and content. For example, prepsychotic patients often report nightmares, particularly of body fragmentation and death of the dreamer. Nightmares have been repeatedly associated with the general level of psychopathology and with the personality factor "neuroticism". Nightmare distress, the impact on daily functioning caused by nightmares, may function as a mediating variable. Several studies in the last years have shown that nightmares can be treated with several cognitive-behavioral techniques. Have been also reported promising effects of pharmacological agents, especially prazosin, but they need to be evaluated in larger placebo-controlled trials. In summary, many findings on nightmares are preliminary and this field needs to be further investigated. Nevertheless psychiatry and general medicine need to pay more attention to nightmares; they are not merely a nightly symptom of anxiety, but a separate sleep disorder that should receive specific treatment.


Assuntos
Sonhos , Transtornos Mentais/complicações , Sonhos/psicologia , Humanos , Transtornos Mentais/psicologia
16.
Transl Psychiatry ; 9(1): 278, 2019 11 07.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31699969

RESUMO

Insanity definition and the threshold for satisfying its legal criteria tend to vary depending on the jurisdictions. Yet, in Western countries, the legal standards for insanity often rely on the presence of cognitive and/or volitional impairment of the defendant at crime time. Despite some efforts having been made to guide and structure criminal responsibility evaluations, a valid instrument that could be useful to guide forensic psychiatrists' criminal responsibility assessments in different jurisdictions is lacking. This is a gap that needs to be addressed, considering the significant forensic and procedural implications of psychiatric evaluations. In addition, differences in methodology used in insanity assessments may also have consequences for the principle of equal rights for all citizens before the law, which should be guaranteed in the European Union. We developed an instrument, the Defendant's Insanity Assessment Support Scale (DIASS), which can be useful to support, structure, and guide the insanity assessment across different jurisdictions, in order to improve reliability and consistency of such evaluations.


Assuntos
Criminosos/legislação & jurisprudência , Técnicas de Apoio para a Decisão , Defesa por Insanidade , Competência Mental/legislação & jurisprudência , Transtornos Mentais/diagnóstico , Psiquiatria Legal/legislação & jurisprudência , Humanos , Transtornos Mentais/psicologia
18.
Int J Law Psychiatry ; 62: 111-116, 2019.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30616845

RESUMO

Coercive treatments are often regarded as an inevitable and yet highly debated feature of psychiatric care. Perceived coercion is often reported by patients involuntarily committed as well as their voluntary counterparts. The Admission Experience Survey (AES) is a reliable tool for measuring perceived coercion in mental hospital admission. We developed the Italian AES (I-AES) through translation back-translation and administered it to 156 acutely hospitalized patients (48% women, 69% voluntarily committed) in two university hospitals in Rome (Policlinico Umberto I, Sant'Andrea Hospital). A principal component analysis (PCA) with equamax rotation was conducted. The I-AES showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90); Guttmann split-half reliability coefficient was 0.90. AES total score significantly differed between voluntary and involuntary committed patients (5.08 ±â€¯4.1 vs. 8.1 ±â€¯4.9, p < .05). PCA disclosed a three-factor solution explaining 59.3 of the variance. Some discrepancies were found between the factor structure of the I-AES and the original version. I-AES total score was positively associated with numbers of previous involuntarily hospitalization (r = 0.20, p < .05) and psychiatric symptoms' severity (r = 0.22, p < .02). I-AES and its proposed new factor structure proved to be reliable to assess perceived coercion in mental hospital admission. Consequently, it may represent a helpful instrument for the study and reduction of patients' levels of perceived coercion.


Assuntos
Coerção , Admissão do Paciente , Adulto , Internação Compulsória de Doente Mental , Análise Fatorial , Feminino , Humanos , Internação Involuntária , Itália , Masculino , Transtornos Mentais/psicologia , Transtornos Mentais/terapia , Inquéritos e Questionários
19.
Int J Law Psychiatry ; 66: 101503, 2019.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31706410

RESUMO

Despite the central role in criminal trials, there is little research on the decision-making processes of experts in forensic psychiatry. We aimed to investigate the role of sociodemographic, psychopathological, and criminological characteristics in forensic psychiatric decisions on criminal responsibility and social dangerousness in criminal trials. We analyzed 302 forensic psychiatric reports provided by 16 forensic psychiatrists from the North, Central and Southern Italy. Defendants' psychiatric symptom severity was evaluated through the 24-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Defendants judged not criminally responsible (Not-CRDs) presented with more severe psychiatric symptoms (positive symptoms, negative symptoms, manic excitement / disorganization), were more likely to be female, to be affected by a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, or bipolar spectrum disorder and to have had a higher number of previous psychiatric treatments and previous involuntary hospitalizations compared to their criminally responsible counterparts. Not-CRDs affected by a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, personality disorder, with severe psychiatric symptoms and with histories of criminal convictions and more victims were more likely to have received a judgment of social dangerousness. The forensic psychiatric evaluations were carried out on average of 770 days after the time of the crime, which in light of the other results, suggests an effect of the perceptions of the expert on the judgment of responsibility, raising the possibility of time bias on forensic judgments concerning defendants' mental responsibility.


Assuntos
Tomada de Decisões , Psiquiatria Legal/métodos , Defesa por Insanidade , Competência Mental/psicologia , Transtornos Mentais/psicologia , Adulto , Idoso , Comportamento Criminoso , Prova Pericial , Feminino , Psiquiatria Legal/instrumentação , Humanos , Itália/epidemiologia , Masculino , Transtornos Mentais/epidemiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Distribuição por Sexo , Comportamento Social
20.
Riv Psichiatr ; 52(1): 9-15, 2017.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28287192

RESUMO

Free will has often been considered central to criminal responsibility. Yet, the concept of free will is also difficult to define and operationalize, and, moreover, it is intensely debated. In particular, the very existence of free will has been denied based on recent neuroscience findings. This debate has significant implications on those fields in which the link between free will and behaviour is the main focus of interest, such as forensic psychiatry. In fact, a tension is often experienced between the centrality of the notion of free will on the one hand, and its controversial status on the other. This tension needs to be addressed, especially in forensic psychiatry, since it is relevant for actual assessments of legal insanity. In the present paper we will try to operationalize "free will" using a fourpartite decision-making capacity model, which can be used in forensic assessment of insanity. We will describe its advantages and application to guide mental insanity assessments. Whereas free will is often considered problematic from a neuroscience perspective, this model, we argue, is compatible with neuroscience; moreover, evaluations using this model can also be informed and strengthened by neuroscientific findings, for example regarding inhibitory control.


Assuntos
Tomada de Decisões , Psiquiatria Legal , Defesa por Insanidade , Competência Mental , Transtornos Mentais , Neurociências , Psiquiatria Legal/legislação & jurisprudência , Humanos , Itália , Competência Mental/legislação & jurisprudência , Competência Mental/psicologia , Transtornos Mentais/psicologia , Países Baixos , Autonomia Pessoal
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