Mental Illness Relationship to Crime

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Myriad of empirical-based research on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) unanimously conclude that there is a close link between this mental disorder and the extent at which patients diagnosed with the condition engage in crime. Besides, it is also evident that ADHD individuals often engage in criminal acts due to similar reasons like those who d not suffer from the condition. On the same note, there seems to be negligible divergence in perspective as far as the correlation between crime and the ADHD prevalence is concerned. It is against this backdrop that this paper seeks to establish how ADHD contributes to criminal behaviour among people diagnosed with the condition.

A recent research study conducted by Aebi et al. (2010) consisting of 3229 offspring drawn from almost the same number of fathers and mothers provides a critical platform for exploring the link between deviant behavior and the prevalence of ADHD. The probands taking part in this study were European Caucasians between the ages of 5 and 17. The study dubbed IMAGE, sought to explore how Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder among other mental conditions are the main drivers as to why young people are often referred to mental health facilities. In addition, the researchers went ahead to correlate persistent pattern of breaking rules and other anti-social behaviours among those who were diagnosed with ADHD.

From the study, it was found that individuals diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to commit crime compared to those void of the condition. On the other side, there are other triggers that make these people engage in criminal offense. For instance, the age factor was considered to be paramount; adults who have lived with untreated ADHD are more likely to be aggressive as criminals in their old age. Besides, the dynamic attitudes among adolescents such as sensation seeking or a feeling of boredom may lead to corrupted judgement and eventually drive the victim to socially undesired acts. Furthermore, crimes committed by ADHD victims are usually not premeditated; they are carried out spontaneously without much. Better still, these types of crimes are executed in a more aggressive or reactive manner after the victim has been slightly provoked by a situation. When research is carried out among adult offenders of the male gender, the hypothesis seems not to deviate from these key findings.

In a separate but similar research study by Unnever, Cullen & Pratt, (2003), the role of parenting as well as the effect of ADHD on crime level is discussed. However, the researchers are quick to point out that research on criminology has not adequately explored other possible causes of deviant behavior in society apart from parental management of children. They argue that it is imperative to conclusively research on how Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) influences crimes committed by minors as well as patterns of low self control. Firstly, the researchers begin by scrutinizing the concept behind the general theory on the development of crime. One important element considered in relation to crime is low self control. Apart from reviewing past studies on the same subject, the researchers also conduct a primary study and correlates the same with other findings. Indeed, this section gives a prelude to the presented data.

As a neurobehavioral disorder, ADHD is very common among school going children. In fact, sufficient research shows that ADHD is acquired at a tender age and once not treated, it progresses to adulthood.

In spite of this background research on ADHD, it is vital to carry out a more thorough character evaluation of a child diagnosed with the mental condition. For instance, a very important criteria that can be used is the immediate evaluation of ADHD in children who portray symptoms such as inattention, impulsive behaviour or poor academic performance. This has indeed been proposed and undertaken by Aguiar, Eubig & Schantz (2010). Secondly, parents and those who provide care to children can avail the much needed information regarding the assessment of this mental condition. Assessment criteria such as the onset of the symptoms, the age at which the symptoms began, how long the symptoms have prevailed and the level of mental impairment are all pertinent in this study.

Among the adult population, ADHD has also been found to be closely related to crime. According to Bower (2007), the diagnosis of ADHD in children and young adults tends to form a life cycle if not treated at an earlier stage. The outcome of a longitudinal research study carried by the researchers revealed that most medications given to children with the intention to treat inattention or hyperactivity have not been directed towards ADHD. Further reports obtained from the research study indicated that hyperactivity was reported in two different groups of adults. A total of 55 participants were reported to have contracted ADHD at a tender age while another 80 were diagnosed with the mental disorder at the adult stage.

When these two separate groups were compared, it was found that they had a higher prevalence in crime rate compared to the community groups surveyed in the research. One way through adolescents and children at a tender age gather self esteem is through faring well in their academic studies as well as impressing older people who are close to them. As already mentioned children who have been diagnosed with ADHD often suffer for long term symptoms on lack of attention, impulsivity and being hyperactive. Besides, they seem not to be contented with either success in school work or pleasing adults. In some cases, these children may face alienation or even lack friends altogether. As a result, they gradually develop an aggressive attitude and may find themselves pursuing outlandish behavioral patterns just to win the respect and dignity from their age-mates. At least, negative attention is a lot better to this group than having no attention at all. Therefore, they opt to make friends to wrong company so that they can receive the much needed attention.

Although juvenile offenders often find their way to justice system and sometimes sentences according to juvenile delinquency laws, past research has concluded that penalizing an impulsive behavior may equally be counterproductive because the justices system merely exposes the young person into a morally torn environment (Bower, 2007). The other inmates at their adolescent stage will trouble the new ‘member’ and initiate him into even harder circumstances which will eventually worsen the character of the offender. if this finding is anything to go by, then it goes without saying that people diagnosed with ADHD either at childhood stage or when they are adults have a higher tendency to commit criminal offence of different magnitudes compared to those without ADHD.

What about ADHD that progresses into old age? It was not until recently when it was discovered that this mental disorder persists until one reaches adulthood (Satterfield & Schell, 1997). The old perception was that ADHD would wither out with time. Indeed, latest research statistics on ADHD prevalence among adults revealed that about 4 percent of Americans beyond the age of childhood suffer from the disorder.

In order to cement this argument, a longitudinal study carried out by Unnever & Cornell (2003) in which boys aged between 6 and 12 years diagnosed with ADHD were studied came up with profound outcomes when the very group of participants were later assessed at the “ages of 18, 25 and 38” (Unnever & Cornell, 2003). It was found that male subjects diagnosed with ADHD had committed crime and arrested at least two times more than the non-ADHD probands. About 42 percent of male ADHD had been arrested and some convicted of crime unlike those without ADHD who recorded a low crime rate of 14 percent. It is indeed amazing and fascinating as well to learn that this mental disorder plays a very tangible role in determining crime prevalence rate both in childhood and adulthood. Moreover, the studies carried out on the etiology and developments of ADHD are quite vivid in terms of their outcomes.

Nonetheless, there are other perturbing trends that that have been reported in spite of the unanimity in the results. About 17% were reported to have not only committed grievous acts of crime, but they did so in an aggressive and violent manner (Bower, 2007). Some of the crimes committed ranged from arson to robbery and murder. On the other hand, no single proband had committed any criminal offence that could be classified as violent or aggressive. The exposure to treatment could not be controlled by the researchers owing to the lengthy time taken by the research study. In spite of this factor, we are still firmly convinced that patients diagnosed with ADD will stand a higher chance of committing violent crimes at some point in their lives. This has been found to occur in a foreseeable future.

In yet another retrospective study which involved over 14,000 participants already diagnosed with ADHD, the link and correlation between ADHD condition at childhood and the likely tendency to commit offence in adult stage was analyzed (Satterfield & Schell, 1997). Although there were no previously documented records detailing treatment of subjects, the latter were divided into three distinct groups according to the ADHD subtypes. The first subtype of ADHD is hyperactive, followed by inattentive and finally, the two are combined to form the third one.

Just as expected, the findings were vivid. Those subjects diagnosed with ADHD of the hyperactive subtype among the non-ADHD population found that the probability of them committing crime was 11 points lower than the ADHD population (Satterfield & Schell, 1997. Symptoms associated with ADHD that presents at a tender age do not carry an impressive projection into the future. As demonstrated in most research findings and notwithstanding slight deviations, symptoms of ADHD diagnosed within the range of 5-12 years portray an ominous prognosis since the affected individuals are highly likely to commit criminal offence at a later age in comparison to their peers not diagnosed with ADHD.

Moreover, people diagnosed with ADHD of the hyperactive subtype had a higher probability of being arrested, prosecuted and sentenced of crime. Similarly, violent acts of robbery as well as theft were also linked with minor type of ADH (Unnever, Cullen & Pratt, 2003). Individuals diagnosed with the inattentive subtype will plan to execute crime. On the other hand, people diagnosed with the combined subtype of ADHD had the weakest correlation to criminal acts at older age.

What about female offenders with ADHD? Do they also stand a similar risk like their male counterparts? Well, the incarcerated males and females have a higher prevalence rate of ADHD compared to their counterparts who have not been convicted (Aguiar, Eubig & Schantz, 2010). A research study that involved 320 inmates in Lowa came up with the finding that out of the total number of sentenced subjects, only about 14 percent of the total females and 23 percent of males had tested positive in the diagnostic criteria for the mental disorder.

A similar investigation of convicted ADHD female offenders in a German jail which consisted of 110 women revealed that ADHD lifetime prevalence stood at 25 percent while persistent ADHD stood at 10% (Unnever, Cullen & Pratt, 2003). Furthermore, ADHD inmates who had been convicted for the first time were found to be relatively younger unlike those without ADHD. Besides, those at a younger age were more diagnosed with ADHD than the older inmates. These assortments of findings reveal quite clearly that people diagnosed with ADHD are more likely resort to crime than those without the condition. It is therefore upon professional dealing with mental health to not only understand and appreciate these implications and propose early diagnosis and treatment to patients.

It is imperative for clinicians to work on the presumption that treating ADHD will have impressive results since crime levels will go down accordingly. However, three elements are necessary in the follow up exercise for ADHD. First, the mental disorder needs to be diagnosed as early as possible so that treatment can be commenced at a tender age. Secondly, treatment for ADHD should be continued until the full recovery of the patient is realized (Aguiar, Eubig & Schantz, 2010). Therefore, chronic treatment is an option but a mandatory requirement if the health impacts of this disorder are to be reversed. Finally, awareness creation on the prevalence of the condition is equally paramount. Most empirical research studies have pointed out that the positive impact presented by the treatment of ADHD is often missed out especially by adolescents since they lack the necessary information on it importance as they continually devalue inputs from their parents and guardians.

Worse still, the medical contact between young adults and pediatricians is below par. Consequently, the professional void created by this gap is making it cumbersome to diagnose the disorder early enough. The situation is exacerbated by the swelling cost of medication as the ADHD patient transits into the fourth or fifth decade of age since medical cover plans such as private insurance is often far beyond reach of many afflicted individuals. Therefore, the grim reality that ADHD prevalence directly influences crime calls for better measures to be put in place to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. In addition, further empirical research on the subject is highly recommended.

References

Aebi, M. et al. (2010). Predictability of oppositional defiant disorder and symptom dimensions in children and adolescents with ADHD combined type. Psychological Medicine, 40(12): 2089-100.

Aguiar, A., Eubig, P., & Schantz, S. (2010). Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Focused Overview for Children’s Environmental Health Researchers. Environmental Health Perspectives, 118(12): 1646-53.

Bower, B. (2007). Crime Growth. Science News, 172(20): 308-309.

Satterfield, J. H. & Schell, A. (1997). A prospective study of hyperactive boys with conduct problems and normal boys: Adolescent and adult criminality. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(12): 1726-1735.

Unnever, D.J. & Cornell, G.D. (2003). Bullying, self-control, and ADHD. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(2): 129-147.

Unnever, D.J., Cullen, T.F. & Pratt, C.T. (2003). Parental management, ADHD, and delinquent involvement: Reassessing Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory. Justice Quarterly, 20(3): 471-500.

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Mental Illness Relationship to Crime

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