Aggresiveness in institutionalised schizophrenic patients and the selection of antipsychotics.

The selection of antipsychotics as medications used primarily for treating schizophrenia and disorders similar to schizophrenia is an important aspect of the treatment of forensicpatients. This study examines the effect of antipsychotics selection (typical or atipycal) on the level of aggressiveness, side effects and the hospitalisation length. The research is conducted on 98 psychiatric patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or similar disorders (F 20-F 29) in two forensic psychiatric institutions. The patients committed aggressive criminal offence in state of insanity. The patients are currently treated in inpatient psychiatric institutions. The research was conducted by using the Aggressiveness Questionnaire (AG-87), the Simpson-Angus Scale for the assessment of extrapyramidal side effects, the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale for the assesment of akathisia and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. The results show no significant difference between the groups of patients treated with typical and atypical antipsychotics in all the variables.

Epilepsy in the elderly and depression.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological problems affecting approximately 1% of the world's population with higher incidence among elderly individuals. Although depression is a common comorbid condition in patients with epilepsy, there is a paucity of information regarding depression in geriatric patients with epilepsy. This study analysed a group of 83 patients affected by different epilepsy phenotypes accompanied by mental disorders, especially depression. Antiepileptic and antipsychotic drug treatment has been evaluated, particularly a positive effect of the new antiepileptics (monotherapy and polytherapy) both on the reduction of seizures and mental disorders.

Forensic aspects in domestic homicide.

The aim of the study was investigation of specific forensic aspects in offenders involved in domestic homicide cases in regard to sociodemographic and psychosocial variables and modalities of the offense. The research was conducted at the Department of Forensic Psychiatry in Neuropsychiatric Hospital "Dr. Ivan Barbot" in Popovaca, Croatia. The sample in this study consisted of domestic homicide group (N = 162). The results showed certain characteristics within the group of domestic homicide offenders. Generally speaking the offenders in domestic homicide cases were often married and were living in their families. Moreover, they were brought up in families with both parents and they had history of regular military service. Furthermore, offenders in domestic homicide cases were less involved in intervention from social services with rare history of home runaway and substance abuse during adolescence. Finally, the same group of offenders was less often had mothers or close friends with antisocial personality disorder but had frequent language and speech problems during adolescent period. In regard to the victims of domestic homicide they were often aged females. The offenders usually commit crime in their living space, either in the house or in the apartment. Based on these findings we conclude there are certain specific characteristics in the domestic homicide cases compared to homicide in general.

Neuroimaging techniques in modern forensic psychiatry.

Applied neuroscientific knowledge such as brain neuroimaging has widespread application in the medical diagnostic and treatment areas. Neuroscientific progress such as cognitive neuroscience has strong implications in specific medical fields such as forensic psychiatry. Significant progress in forensic psychiatry has affected the practice of law, in which an understanding of the complex relationship among mind, brain, and behavior is becoming necessary. Forensic psychiatry is concerned with the relationship between psychiatric abnormalities and legal violations and crimes. Due to the lack of available biological criteria, assessment, evaluation and therapy in forensic psychiatry have so far been restricted to psychosocial and mental criteria of offender personality. Recent advances in nuclear radiology such as brain imaging techniques (fMRI, DT-MRI, PET SPECT) allow a closer approach to the neural correlates of personality, moral judgments and decision-making. Introduction of neurobiological criteria (based on advanced neuroimaging techniques) in the field of forensic psychiatry and establishing the rules to what extent such biological criteria will be more reliable choice in evaluating mentally ill offenders would be of fundamental value in the modern forensic psychiatry. Psychosocial and subjective criteria in forensic evaluation will be more accomplished by biopsychosocial and objective criteria. Advances in the neuroimaging techniques bring specificity to the problems underlying the application of neuroscience to criminal law.