Symptoms of Schizoaffective Disorder in Murder

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Introduction

Psychosis has been recognized as a motivation for some individuals to commit crimes. Many psychiatric conditions are associated with crime. However, the most common of them is schizophrenia. Researchers in psychiatry, psychology, and criminology have devoted a lot of their time to the study of the relationship between crime and psychosis.

The most widely studied of them is schizophrenia (Acharya, 2008). Many positive correlations have been found between violent behavior and schizophrenia, with few researchers devoting their work to the study of the relationship between schizoaffective behavior and crime.

Schizoaffective disorder is one of the conditions that are associated with psychosis. It belongs to the same spectrum of mental illnesses as schizophrenia. According to Ferranti, McDermott, and Scott (2013), the condition is a cause of morbidity for patients with mental illness.

The prevalence of this condition in people sentenced to prison or punished for committing acts of violence is high. Several studies link psychosis to the high prevalence of crime. Three common characteristics in schizoaffective disorder that correlate with murder are hallucination, delusion, and disorganized thinking. This research paper looks at the relationship between murder and the schizoaffective disorder.

Problem

According to Ferranti, McDermott, and Scott (2013), homicide is one of the extreme forms of violence in the human aggression spectrum. Psychosis has traditionally been used as an explanation for the violent behaviors of criminals. Research findings show a positive correlation between crime and psychosis. Schizoaffective disorder is the existence of psychotic disarray in the presence of a mood disorder. Patients have the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia.

The signs coexist with mood symptoms such as mania or depression (Acharya, 2008). This research paper mainly looks for a link between schizoaffective disorder and murder. It tries to answer the question of whether there is any relationship between suffering from the schizoaffective disorder and being a murderer.

Definitions

It is important to define some of the terms that are important in this research paper. The two main terms that will be defined are murder and schizoaffective disarray.

Schizoaffective Disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is a term that originally came from Jacob Kasanaini in 1933. He used it to describe a condition whose symptoms included the signs that were consistent with schizophrenia (psychotic symptoms) and those that were regular with mood disorders (Acharya, 2008).

The criterion for diagnosis must include a period of not less than two weeks with only the symptoms of psychosis in the absence of mood symptoms (Acharya, 2008). Two types of the condition have been described, namely are the depressive type and the bipolar type (Acharya, 2008).

Murder

Murder is a term that is mostly applied in the normal language to mean the killing of one individual by another. The act of people killing each other dates back to the dark ages. Many reasons for murder have been described. Homicide is a term that has been used interchangeably with murder. However, the circumstances surrounding the two are often different.

Symptoms of Schizoaffective Disorder

The symptoms of schizoaffective disorder depend on the type of the condition that is exhibited by the individual. In a depressive type of the condition, the patient may experience symptoms such as reduced appetite, loss of energy (anergia), apathy, weight loss, difficulty while concentrating, and suicidal ideation (Link, Stueve, & Phelan, 1998). The patient generally exhibits the above features of depression in addition to psychotic features. Patients generally describe their mood as being depressed.

They have a mood that is not congruent with the affect, and hence the likelihood of remaining secluded (Acharya, 2008). With the above symptoms of depressive schizoaffective disorder, these patients are less likely to be involved in crimes as they are less agitated (Acharya, 2008).

The other type of schizoaffective disorder is the one with manic episodes. This type is associated with the symptoms of mania in companion with the psychotic symptoms (Acharya, 2008). The manic episodes are characterized by features such as increased libido, alterations in the rate and content of thoughts, and speech such that the individual has racing thoughts and pressure of speech (Acharya, 2008).

The patients regularly exhibit an inflated self-esteem. They have delusions of grandeur. These individuals are also more likely to be involved in self-destructive behaviors in the course of the illness. Hence, they are likely to be involved in crime (Acharya, 2008). Manic episodes generally occur, with the individuals demonstrating an elevated mood.

As stated above, the condition occurs when there is a mood disorder accompanied by psychotic symptoms. The psychotic symptoms that are commonly associated with the condition include hallucination, delusion, disorganized behavior, and muddled speech (Acharya, 2008).

These individuals also exhibit some degree of immobility, decreased motivation, and lack of or inadequate facial expression (Acharya, 2008). The primary symptom in psychosis is a thought disorder that mainly manifests as phantasm, apparition, and messy speech.

Etiology and Treatment

In this section, it is important to look at the causes of schizoaffective disorder to establish the relationship and differences between mood disorders and schizophrenia. There have been numerous studies on the causes of schizoaffective disorder. In the past, researchers have not been able to completely answer the question of the cause of the condition. The cause remains largely unknown, with most people stating that the causes of schizophrenia are equivalent to those of the disorder (Acharya, 2008).

Most of the studies done to establish the causes of the condition have been in the line of the neuronal chemicals that are used in the signal transmission pathways in the brain (Acharya, 2008). According to Acharya (2008), the imbalance between the neurotransmitters in the brain is the most likely cause of the condition. Treatment involves the restoration of the balance.

However, some predisposing factors are recognized to be important in the etiology of the condition. The most important of these factors according to Acharya (2008) is the genetic predisposition. Most of individuals suffering from it have exhibited a common genetic characteristic. Some families are known to have the condition. This situation strengthens that genetic theory of the origin of schizoaffective disorder (Link, Stueve, & Phelan, 1998).

Some of the other factors that are important in the etiology of schizoaffective disorder include environmental factors and the type of personality (Link, Stueve, & Phelan, 1998). The environmental conditions add to the genetic factors in the predisposition to schizoaffective disorder. The vulnerable individuals are likely to be affected by factors such as drug abuse and other stressors (Acharya, 2008). Patients with specific types of premorbid personalities are likely to suffer from schizoaffective disorder.

Hence, personality type is a major influence on the development of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder (Link, Stueve, & Phelan, 1998).The most likely personality trait for a person to be involved in homicide is antisocial personality. These individuals have a long record of crimes and illegal activities.

The management of schizoaffective disorder can be done medically, or through psychological intervention. The treatment takes a bio-psychosocial model, which involves biological treatment (medication), psychological interventions (counseling and relaxation therapy), and the management of social factors (Acharya, 2008). This approach has been associated with success in treatment. However, there are individuals that relapse and need lifelong treatment (Link, Stueve, & Phelan, 1998).

The advanced treatment using medication has documented success in the treatment of schizoaffective behavior. More people are currently under treatment. The medication treats the mood disorder and the psychotic illness present in these individuals. Hence, there are two types of medication for the condition, namely the antipsychotics and the antidepressants or mood stabilizers (Link, Stueve, & Phelan, 1998).

After the acute symptoms subside, patients undergo psychosocial rehabilitation, which is useful in the treatment of the disorder. Other forms of therapy include family therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, electro conversion therapy, and relaxation therapy among others (Acharya, 2008). Individuals with a good premorbid personality and good social support are reported to be easily treated compared to other groups.

Schizoaffective Disorder and Crime

Nolan, Volavka, Mohr, and Czobor (1999) confirm that most of the individuals in correctional and forensic psychiatric facilities suffer from some forms of psychosis. They also state that psychopathy has a direct relationship with criminality, with more association with violent crime (Nolan, Volavka, Mohr, & Czobor, 1999, p. 787). The number of charges that people with psychotic symptoms are charged with is significantly high compared to the same charges to non-psychopathic offenders (Nolan, Volavka, Mohr, & Czobor, 1999, p. 787).

These individuals also spend more time in relation to their normal counterparts in incarceration and convictions for violent crimes (Nolan, Volavka, Mohr, & Czobor, 1999, p. 787). They are also likely to be involved in violence while inside the correctional facilities (Nolan, Volavka, Mohr, & Czobor, 1999, p. 787).

The number psychotic people who commit crimes in the community is low in relation to their sane counterparts. According to Eronen, Hakola, and Tiihonen (1996), the psychotic individuals are more predisposed to violent behavior. Nolan, Volavka, Mohr, and Czobor (1999, p. 787) observe that the violence that schizophrenic individuals commit is a heterogeneous phenomenon that may be related to symptoms such as delusions of thought control, insertion, and persecution.

Patients with psychotic symptoms are also more likely to commit a crime because of the hallucinations that they say are commanding them. Despite the researchers finding a link between violent crimes and psychosis as exhibited in schizoaffective disorder, some other researchers confirm that there is no link between violent crime and the symptoms, or the relationship is no more than that of the general population (Junginger, Parks-Levy, & McGuire, 1998).

The predisposition for violent behavior and crime for these patients may be due to their underlying personality features that are found in association with the conditions. In the study conducted by Nolan, Volavka, Mohr, and Czobor (1999, p. 787), their findings indicate that there is an association between psychopathic personality, as it is exhibited in schizoaffective disorder and the violent behavior in some of the participants.

Therefore, people suffering from conditions with underlying psychosis are more likely to be involved in crime. Hence, schizoaffective disorder is associated with increased crime. The relationship between schizoaffective disorder and murder has also been studied. The section below examines the relationship between the two.

Schizoaffective Disorder and Murder

Ferranti, McDermott, and Scott (2013) studied the existence of psychiatric conditions in women that were convicted of crimes. In their research, 52% of the participant has an underlying schizoaffective disorder, and therefore a strong correlation between the crimes they committed and the condition (Ferranti, McDermott, & Scott. 2013).

The researchers stated that the female offenders who mainly participated had been involved in homicide where they had murdered their own infants (Ferranti, McDermott, & Scott. 2013). The predisposition to committing this crime according to Ferranti, McDermott, and Scott (2013) is the religious delusion that the female offenders had in the course of their schizoaffective illness.

Schizophrenia is the most common psychiatric condition leading to acquittal for crimes based on insanity in the United States (Felthous, Weaver, Evans, Braik, Stanford, Johnson et al., 2009). Religious delusions are a common finding in schizoaffective disorders. They may lead to mothers killing their infants (Ferranti, McDermott, & Scott. 2013).

The predisposition to the crime is mainly in patients with an antisocial premorbid personality. Kunst (2002) observed that mothers who kill their children often have an underlying psychiatric illness. He stated schizoaffective disorder as one the common conditions.

The reason why more females than male offenders were involved in the murder of infants in most of these studies is that there is a relationship between mood disorders, schizoaffective disorder, and the female gender (Friedman, Hrouda, Holden, Noffsinger, & Resnick, 2005). The schizoaffective disorder is also common in the female population of offenders compared to their male counterparts who tend to be more aggressive in the course of the illness.

The motives for murder in most of the patients are different. The extent and type of the schizoaffective disorder is also a determinant of the crime. The patients who were diagnosed to have psychiatric illnesses as a predisposition to their crimes of murder were mostly thought to have mood problems (Friedman et al., 2005). The presence of a mood problem is consistent with the schizoaffective disorder.

The patients who had committed filicide were often found to have auditory hallucinations. Most of these offenders also had delusional (altruistic or acutely psychotic) motives (Friedman et al., 2005). In a recent study on the background of homicide offenders and the outcome of their ruling in England, some the offenders were found to have schizoaffective disorder, with a strong link being evident between the condition and homicide (Flynn, Abel, While, Mehta, & Shaw, 2011).

The researchers also found an age difference between the different sexes of offenders, with the female psychotic patients being involved in the murder of their young children while their male counterparts murdered older individuals (Flynn et al., 2011). The homicide offenders were not charged with the crimes because of proof that they were not sane (Flynn et al., 2011).

Many researchers have not studied the relationship between schizoaffective disorder alone and murder. Most of the work available combines the psychotic illnesses to describe their relationship with violent behavior. However, results from these forms of studies show a strong correlation between the psychotic illnesses and the propensity to commit murder (Weiss, Kohler, Nolan, Czobor, Volavka, Platt et al., 2006).

There is also a strong association between schizophrenia and murder. As stated above, schizophrenia is the main reason that offenders are not charged with the crimes they commit in the United States. The relationship between crime and schizophrenia has also been largely studied, with different researchers indicating a strong relationship between the condition and murder (Weatherby, Buller, & McGinnis, 2009).

Weatherby, Buller, and McGinnis (2009) observe that the relationship between crime and psychiatric illness may be due to the underlying personality disorders and that most of the conditions are associated with the personality disorders. Schizoaffective disorder is associated with antisocial personality disorder. This type of personality predisposes individuals to crime, especially murder.

The most common psychiatric illness that is associated with violence is schizophrenia, which is in the same family as schizoaffective disorder. The psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia are similar to those in schizoaffective disorder. These are the main causes of violence and murder in these individuals. Therefore, it is accurate to assume that individuals suffering from schizoaffective disorder are likely to be involved in the murder.

Issues such as mental illness and its relationship with violent crimes were also the subject of study in the research by Weatherby, Buller, and McGinnis (2009). They found out that the psychotic symptoms in these individuals reduce their ability to recognize facial and emotional expression. This affects their social functioning, thus resulting in the observed increase in the prevalence of crime in this population (Weatherby, Buller, & McGinnis, 2009).

In a different study, the researchers confirmed that the schizophrenic and schizoaffective individuals arrested for crimes performed poorly on the emotional recognition tests (Weiss et al., 2006). These individuals also had difficulty recognizing emotions such as anger, and fear. This observation may reveal why they are involved in graphic murders (Weiss et al, 2006).

Most of the schizoaffective patients that commit crimes are described to be involved in drug abuse in one way or the other. The independent relationship between schizoaffective disorder and murder is strong even in the presence of drug use in these individuals.

Most of the researchers conclude that the presence of psychotic symptoms in individuals warrants their restraints. They should be treated early to prevent their offensive and often fatal behavior. The presence of psychotic symptoms in individuals should also warrant their follow up to ensure that they are monitored to prevent crime, especially murder.

Discussion

The findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between schizoaffective disorder and the predisposition to murder. Individuals with the condition are more likely to commit murder as compared to their sane counterparts. The main cause of the increased prevalence of this behavior in this group of patients is the motivation that they get from the characteristics of the illness. They often display thought disturbances that are the origin of their homicidal behaviors and actions (Ferranti, McDermott, & Scott 2013).

The prevalence of schizoaffective behavior among individuals who commit murders is high. Most researchers stated that there is a positive correlation between the two (Acharya, 2008). Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are closely related.

The main psychotic features in these patients include delusions and hallucinations. Patients with schizophrenia constitute the group that is mostly associated with murder and other forms of violent crimes in the US and anywhere else in the world. Since the two conditions have the same characteristics of psychosis, the research paper finds this as a reason for schizoaffective disorder being associated with violent crime and murder (Acharya, 2008).

The relationship between sex and murder has also been described in this research paper. The female schizoaffective patients are more predisposed to murder in relation to their male counterparts (Ferranti, McDermott, & Scott. 2013). The female patients are also linked to the murder of their children, and younger victims, with the male individuals murdering older individuals (Ferranti, McDermott, & Scott. 2013).

Most of the female homicide offenders were found to have a psychiatric illness, with more than half of them having schizoaffective disorder (Ferranti, McDermott, & Scott. 2013). Therefore, there is a positive relationship between schizoaffective disorder, the female gender, and the prevalence of homicide. There is a need for researchers to carry out more research into the relationship between the schizophrenia and murder since few of these researches exist.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The findings above indicate a positive correlation between schizoaffective disorder and murder. Most of the patients convicted for murder have no underlying mental disorder since those that have the condition are usually acquitted based on sanity. Research also shows that the numbers of people that commit crimes are mainly not mentally sick despite people with psychotic symptoms being more predisposed to crime.

The symptoms that are characteristic of schizoaffective disorder include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. They occur in combination with mood symptoms such as mania or depression. The schizoaffective disorder is a recognized psychotic illness. The two types of the illness that the research describes include the depressive type and the manic type.

The findings also lead to a number of recommendations that may be useful in the prevention of crime by the schizoaffective patients. Since these patients are protected by the law and may not be sentenced for crimes committed, more attention should be given to the prevention of the crimes they are likely to commit.

One way of preventing the crimes include early treatment of patients. As seen in the research, there are different modalities for treatment of schizoaffective patients. However, these modalities have varying degrees of effectiveness. The authorities should house these patients and institute care. This strategy will be effective in the prevention of crimes attributed to the condition.

Heath provision for these individuals should also involve a classification of the patients that are likely to be involved in crime, and those that display violent behavior that may be fatal for other. This group of patients should then be isolated and placed under supersession. Another recommendation is that these individuals should be held in facilities that are different from those of the sane individuals, with more care to prevent them harming their colleagues and themselves.

Treatment should also be widely available for these individuals, with follow up being adequately provided. With these recommendations being put into effect, there is the likelihood in decreasing the number of murders attributed to the schizoaffective patients.

Therefore, the expositions made above concerning this disorder will be crucial when implemented in the various hospitals and other health facilities in an effort of guaranteeing a schizoaffective disorder-free generation. As such, issues concerning murder and crime will have been reduced significantly in society.

Reference List

Acharya, A. (2008). Is schizoaffective disorder more akin to mood disorders than schizophrenia? Schizophrenia Research, 98(1), 33.

Eronen, M., Hakola, P., & Tiihonen, J. (1996). Mental disorders and homicidal behavior in Finland. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53(1), 497–501.

Felthous, A., Weaver, D., Evans, R., Braik, S., Stanford, M., Johnson, R., Metzger, C., Bazile, A., & Barratt, E. (2009). Assessment of impulsive aggression in patients with severe mental disorders and demonstrated violence: inter-rater reliability of rating instrument. J Forensic Sci, 54(1),1470–4.

Ferranti, J., McDermott, B., &Scott, C. (2013). Characteristics of Female Homicide Offenders Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, 41(1), 516-22.

Flynn, S., Abel, M., While, D., Mehta, H., & Shaw, J. (2011). Mental illness, gender and homicide: a population-based descriptive study. Psychiatry Res, 185(1), 368 –75.

Friedman, S., Hrouda, D., Holden, C., Noffsinger, S., & Resnick, P. (2005). Child murder committed by severely mentally ill mothers: an examination of mothers found not guilty by reason of insanity. J Forensic Sci, 50(1), 1466-71.

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Kunst, L. (2002). Fraught with the utmost danger: the object relations of mothers who kill their children. Bull Menninger Clin, 66(1), 19 –38.

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Weatherby, G., Buller, D., & McGinnis, K. (2009). The Buller-McGinnis Model of Serial Homicidal Behavior: An Integrated Approach. Journal of Criminology and criminal Justice Research and Education, 3(1), 1-24.

Weiss, E., Kohler, C., Nolan, K., Czobor, P., Volavka, J., Platt, M., Brensinger, C., Loughhead, J., Delazer, M., & Gur, R. (2006). The relationship between history of violent and criminal behavior and recognition of facial expression of emotions in men with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Aggressive Behavior, 32(1), 187-194.

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