Psychiatric evaluations for adolescent offenders with delinquency in Taiwan

The aim of this study is to investigate the psychiatric evaluations for juvenile offenders.

A total of 166 juvenile offenders were enrolled in this study. After diagnostic psychiatric interviews for 166 juvenile offenders, three groups of academic achievement (normal, academically challenged, and those suspended/dropouts from school). Different offenses, including those were against people, property, related to illicit drugs, or related to sex and delinquency and mental illness were also recorded. The relationship among the mental illness, types of offenses, and academic achievement was analyzed.

In this study, 89.76 % of juvenile offenders reported educational achievement problems and 89.76 % of them had psychiatric disorders. The educational achievement with regard to the types of offenses (p < 0.001) or specific mental illness (p < 0.001). Juvenile offenders who were lagged behind in school performance showed more offenses against property (56.48 %), and more ADHD and conduct disorder (ADHD only: 36.11 %. ADHD with conduct: 12.04 %. ADHD with mood disorder: 11.11 %. Conduct disorder: 14.81 %). Those who dropped out of school showed more offenses against people and more mood disorder (mood disorder only: 24.39 %. Mood disorder with ADHD: 24.39 %). For those without academic challenges, the most common offenses were related to sex.

These findings revealed that often times juvenile offenses are related to psychiatric disorders and school problems.