Psychopathy in Italian female murderers.

Over the years, the number of homicides in Italy has progressively decreased, ultimately becoming one of the lowest rates in Europe (357 = 0.7 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2017, according to ISTAT). The number of homicides committed by women was about 9% of the total number of homicides during our study period. The percentage has increased in recent years because the total number of homicides has decreased without a proportionate decrease in the number of female homicides. Indeed, murder is an unusual type of crime for a woman and is often associated with a mental disorder, so when a woman committed a homicide, a psychiatric assessment was often performed. A forensic psychiatry expert was assigned to investigate the offender's psychopathology and mental state at the time of the offense. The root causes of the crime remained unexplained, however, due to the lack of a psychiatric precedent to justify this kind of assessment. The role of psychopathy in homicide has seldom been studied in female offenders, even though psychopathy has an important role in violent crimes. The investigators examined, clinically and historically, a sample of women who committed murder with different levels of criminal responsibility (female homicide offenders found not guilty by reason of insanity, having partial criminal responsibility, and convicted as criminally responsible and sentenced to prison) to identify the prevalence of the psychopathic dimension and its possible role in this sample. Prevalence and degree of psychopathic traits were examined in these female offenders using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. This study showed that females who had committed homicide were likely to suffer from mental illness; most of the homicidal acts were committed impulsively; and most female homicides occurred within the family, especially among women who were psychotic, but less so if they were psychopathic. Psychopathy tended to co-occur more with personality disorders than with psychotic psychopathology. Psychopathy was more evident among female homicide offenders who had been abused or traumatized. Psychopathic women who killed had high factor F1 scores and low antisocial component of factor F2.

Intra-familiar homicides: From 2006 to 2021 in the judicial district of Milan.

INTRODUCTION: The present research aims at analyzing criminological and medico-legal characteristics of intra-familiar homicides occurred in two major Italian cities (Milano and Monza) from the beginning of 2006 to the end of 2021. METHODS: Cases were identified using the Institutional database of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan, where all the autopsies of victims were performed. Data about these cases were obtained from autopsies findings, preliminary investigation reports, local papers and victim relatives' interviews. In this period 11,480 autopsies were performed: 392 were homicides and, among these, 94 were confirmed as intra-familiar homicides (as a result of 84 events). Cases were classified according to the classic definition of intimate partner violence (referring only to an intra-familiar context), parricides, filicides, fratricides, familicides and grannicides. Age, sex, nationality and risk factors of the victims and perpetrators, as well as methods of murder were registered for each case. Only in some cases, motives for murder were known. RESULTS: The most frequent type of intra-familiar homicides was intimate partner violence (41.5%), followed by parricides (16%, mainly matricides), filicides (10.7%) and fratricides (6.4%). 9.6% of the total number of events were familicides. Risk factors were frequently involved, in particular among perpetrators and in the group of parricides, while among siblicides they showed minimal relevance. Overall, psychiatric pathologies were the main risk factors involved (at least 23.8%), unlike extrafamiliar homicides, where previous criminal report or involvement in illicit traffics are frequently reported among perpetrators. This finding enlightens the difficulties of caring for a relative with a mental disorder, who can become dangerous for the domestic caregiver. Furthermore, the high number of physical illness and the advanced age of victims points out the tragical consequences of the lack of social support system for these categories of people. METHODS: of murder were mainly cold steel (30-31.9%) and firearms (21-22.3%). However choking/manual ligature (9-9.6%), blunt force trauma inflicted using objects found on the scenario or bare handed (16-17%) and combined methods (11-11.7%) were frequently represented confirming the expected high level of impulsivity related to this kind of crime.

An unusual case of serial poisoning of family members.

The authors present an unusual criminal case of delusionally motivated, serial intrafamilial killings by a psychotic offender. Because the offender retained instrumental rationality and killed his victims by stealth, viz. surreptitious poisoning, the killing of his first victims went undetected. Persecutory delusions of being poisoned not uncommonly result in defensive violence, whereas in this case, religious delusions resulted in the mentally ill person killing others by poisoning them. Here, the psychotic offender killed his victims by means of poisoning based upon motivation driven by religious delusions. This case illustrates the importance of index of suspicion and appropriate investigation of mysterious deaths, and careful forensic psychiatric assessment to distinguish delusional versus extreme overvalued belief-motivated killings in addressing the insanity defense.

Differences Between Readmitted and Non-readmitted Women in an Italian Forensic Unit: A Retrospective Study.

The main objective of this study was to compare readmitted (RW) and non-readmitted (NRW) female psychiatric patients after being conditionally or unconditionally released from Italian inpatient forensic psychiatry services, in order to identify variables that were significantly linked with readmission. This study included all patients who were discharged from the female Residences for the Execution of the Security Measure (REMS) of Castiglione delle Stiviere from January 2008 to June 2015 who were not readmitted until December 31, 2018 (48). In addition, data were collected on female patients who were discharged from the same REMS before 2008 and readmitted from January 2008 to December 2018 (42). A key finding of our study was that the readmission into a female REMS was positively associated with the presence of substance use disorders (SUD) and a primary diagnosis on Axis II. To a lesser extent, younger age, being unconditionally discharged when first released, having had a shorter length of inpatient stay and having committed a crime against property for the first REMS admission was also variables that were apparently linked with readmission. The present research continues the previous research on gender-specific mentally ill offenders. Hence, the decision to proceed separately with a sample of men only and one of women only. For all these reasons, young female patients with personality disorder and SUD perhaps should remain longer in REMS and be released with conditions. In most European countries, the length of stay depends on the clinical condition and risk assessment, with some exceptions where the courts set a maximum length of stay at the outset, as in Italy. All the factors listed above influence the risk assessment. Finally, from integrating these findings into the increasing international literature on conditional release and considering the recent changes in the Italian forensic treatment model, we recommend continuing research on individual risk and protective factors as well as risk assessment instruments on conditionally and unconditionally released inpatients with genders studied separately.

Female psychopathy: A descriptive national study of socially dangerous female NGRI offenders.

Understudied is psychopathy in females, particularly socially dangerous NGRI females, where the construct could be of forensic, clinical and criminologic significance. Italy's recent transformation of its mental health system created the context for studying such a population on a national level. Throughout the twentieth century until their closure in 2015, offenders found to be not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) and socially dangerous were placed in one of the the six high security hospitals in Italy (OPGs). Only one hospital, the Castiglione delle Stiviere maximum security hospital (OPG) in North Italy, treated female offenders, who came from all parts of Italy. The authors studied 66 of all 86 women in Castiglione delle Stiviere OPG. The aims of this study were to identify the prevalence of psychopathy in NGRI female offenders and eventually to identify any phenotypic gender-specific features of psychopathy. The SCID I and II interviews and other tests (MMPI-2, MCMI-III, R-Bans) were administered to all the women. Clinical historical information was obtained. Finally for all women who consented to participate in the study, the researchers administered the PCL-R version validated for the Italian population. The final sample consisted of 66 women, who were deemed NGRI and socially dangerous. Here the authors present the final results as well as limitations of the research.

Women and Men who Committed Murder: Male/Female Psychopathic Homicides.

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.

Psychopathy and Female Gender: Phenotypic Expression and Comorbidity; A Study Comparing a Sample of Women Hospitalized in Italy's Maximum Security Facility with Women Who were Criminally Sentenced and Imprisoned.

Various studies have shown that women with psychopathy tend to commit crimes that are less violent than those of psychopathic men. The present study was designed to address the influence of psychopathy on the crimes committed by female offenders. A national sample of female offenders found NGRI or of diminished responsibility and at risk for criminal recidivism (OPG patients) was compared with a sample of female offenders who were convicted and imprisoned. Results of this comparison between the two groups of female offenders indicate that psychopathy is a transversal psychopathological dimension which may or may not be associated with other mental disorders. In both samples, the most commonly reported offenses among women with high PCL-R scores were minor offenses, not particularly violent, but they appear to be related to typical psychopathic features such as superficial charm, pathological lying, and manipulation.

Female Residents with Psychopathy in a High-Security Italian Hospital.

Before its closure on April 1, 2015, the Castiglione delle Stiviere was the only maximum-security hospital in Italy that admitted women. In this context, the investigators examined factors related to psychopathy that were thought to be gender specific. Several prior investigations have reported a significant correlation between psychopathy and borderline personality disorder, a disorder thought to represent the phenotypical expression of psychopathy in women. The purpose of this research was to identify psychopathological and phenotypical gender-specific factors that are associated with psychopathy in women. The data appear consistent with that found in the recent international literature and also highlight the different phenotypical manifestation of psychopathy in the two genders. Whereas in males psychopathy is associated with antisocial personality disorder, in females psychopathy is associated with borderline personality disorder.

Fibromyalgia syndrome and depressive symptoms: comorbidity and clinical correlates.

OBJECTIVE: Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and higher pain perception in specific anatomic sites called tender points. Fibromyalgia is frequently associated with psychiatric symptoms, like depression and anxiety; indeed some authors have argued about the possibility to classify this syndrome into affective spectrum disorder. Few studies have analyzed the impact of depressive symptoms on pain threshold. This research is aimed at evaluating the prevalence and the clinical correlates of depressive symptoms in fibromyalgic patients, and investigating their impact on pain perception and quality of life. METHODS: Outpatients between 18 and 75 years with diagnosis of fibromyalgia according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology have been included. All subjects have been evaluated with the following rating scales: HAM-D; VAS (to quantify pain); a visual analogical scale to evaluate quality of life; and Paykel's List of Recent Life Events. RESULTS: Thirty subjects have been recruited. Most patients (83.3%) had clinically significant depressive symptoms as indicated by a HAM-D score >7. Depressive symptoms are associated with higher pain perception, worse quality of life and more severe life events. CONCLUSION: The presence of depressive symptoms is associated with a great impairment in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: indeed the psychiatric comorbidity lowers pain threshold and worsens the quality of life of our patients. Future studies should be conducted in order to identify the individual factors, e.g. stress or inflammatory processes, which drive the association between depression and higher severity of fibromyalgia syndrome.