[Offensive and criminal acts in schizophrenia: comparative study according to gender]

Schizophrenia does not involve the same risk of violence among women than men. The offensive and criminal acts were less studied in women.

To raise the sex ratio of the criminal acts and to seek the characteristics and the risk factors of this female violence.

We carried out a comparative descriptive retrospective study, including 107 patients having schizophrenia according to criteria's of the DSM IV, hospitalized due to insanity according to article 38 of the Tunisian Penal Code.

The sex ratio was 1 woman for 10 men. The women were older at the time of the offence or criminal act (46 years, 39 years), men were more often unmarried or divorced (50% vs 89.7%) and had more psychiatric family history (30% vs 40,2%). The duration of untreated psychoses was longer among women (65.3 months vs 22.4 months). The women more often made homicides or attempts of homicides (70%, 33%), the infanticides were raised only among women and arsons were noted only among men. The hospitalization was significantly longer among women (18.8 monthsvs 11.2 months).

The preventive of offence and criminal acts in schizophrenia is also necessary among women as men.