Assessment of the criminal recidivism among individuals with mental disorders

Epidemiological studies conducted in various regions through the world point to an increased risk of violence among individuals with mental disorders. Violent behaviour occurs in a certain social system that involves a whole person with a certain history of life, with a certain state of health or disease, and interaction with other socal circumastances. There are different methods of risk assessment, but basically two broad categories of methods determine assessment of the risk: clinical and statistical. The main purpose of the investigation is by using the statistical scale to determine risk factors of a psychopathological and social nature as well as individual traits that determine violent behaviour. The investigation has been conducted in psychiatric hospitals in Macedonia. The experimental group--perpetrators of a criminal act (PCA)--encompasses 89 patients, admitted to psychiatric hospitals in Macedonia as forensic patients. These patients have committed criminal acts. According to the forensic expertise they have had a diagnosis of psychiatric disorders (ICD 10). The control group--patients with mental disorders who had not committed a criminal act and had not expressed violent behavior--the control group without violence (CG WV) encompasses 60 patients. Methodologically is the: VRAG (Violence Risk Assessment Guide) was the instrument used in the investigation Psychiatric disorder does not have a predictive value per se, but assossiated with other factors such as comorbidity with antisocial personality disorder, alcohol abuse, violent behaviour during the developmental period of life and life in an incomplete family is a considerable predictive basis for prevention and management of further violence among individuals with mental disorders.