Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2025
Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
Published on: November 21, 2013
Associations between antipsychotics and risk of violent crimes and suicidal behaviour in personality disorder
Kimmo Herttua1, Mike Crawford2, Tapio Paljarvi3,4
1Public Health, University of Southern Denmark - Campus Esbjerg, Esbjerg, Denmark.
Background:
Despite uncertain benefits, people with personality disorder are commonly treated with antipsychotic medication.
Objective:
To investigate the association between antipsychotics and violent crimes and suicidal behaviour in individuals with personality disorder.
Methods:
We used nationwide Danish registries to identify all individuals with diagnosed personality disorder aged 18-64 years during 2007 to 2016. Antipsychotics were recorded in dispensed prescriptions, and individuals were followed up for police-recorded suspicions for violent crimes and healthcare presentations of suicidal behaviour. We applied a within-individual design where outcome rates for individuals with personality disorder during medicated periods were compared with rates during non-medicated periods.
Findings:
The cohort included 166 328 people with diagnosed personality disorder, of whom 79 253 were prescribed antipsychotics, presented at least one outcome and were thus included in the within-individual analyses. Compared with periods when individuals were not on antipsychotic medication, violent crime suspicions were 40% lower (incident rate ratio (IRR) 0.60, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.63) in men and 10% lower (IRR 0.90, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.01) in women, while rates of suicidal behaviour were 32% lower both in men (IRR 0.68, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.71) and in women (IRR 0.68, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.70). In subgroup analyses, the magnitude of the association varied across specific personality disorders for criminal outcomes but less for suicidal behaviour, with largest association in dissocial personality disorder for violent criminality (IRR 0.53, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.59).
Conclusions:
Treatment with antipsychotics was associated with reduced risks for violent crime suspicions and suicidal behaviour among individuals with personality disorder.
Clinical Implications:
Potential effects of antipsychotics on suicidal behaviour and violence should be taken into account when considering treatment options for people with personality disorders.
More Related Videos
05:14Standardized Data Acquisition for Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Substantia Nigra
Published on: September 8, 2021
12:00Investigating the Effects of Antipsychotics and Schizotypy on the N400 Using Event-Related Potentials and Semantic Categorization
Published on: November 19, 2014
Related Concept Videos
01:28Psychosis and Antipsychotic Drugs: Overview
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
01:24Antisocial Personality Disorder
Behavioral Characteristics and...
01:26Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
01:22Personality Disorders: Paranoid and Schizoid
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Paranoid personality disorder is...
01:27Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within...