Table 2.
Social and clinical characteristics of people with psychiatric reports who committed homicide, according to presence of mental disorder at time of homicide. Values are proportions (percentages) of subjects unless stated otherwise
| Mental disorder (n=71) | No mental disorder (n=429) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social and demographic variables | ||||
| Median age (range) (years) | 34 (19-77) | 27 (13-67) | 0.000 | |
| Not currently married | 40/70 (57) | 255/400 (64) | 0.290 | |
| Unemployed | 36/71 (51) | 222/394 (57) | 0.430 | |
| Living alone | 10/68 (15) | 52/337 (15) | 0.910 | |
| Homeless or no fixed abode | 0/69 | 15/352 (4) | 0.080 | |
| Clinical variables | ||||
| History of alcohol misuse | 25/68 (37) | 155/391 (40) | 0.650 | |
| Alcohol thought to have contributed to the offence | 21/69 (30) | 189/343 (55) | 0.000 | |
| History of drug misuse | 15/68 (22) | 144/388 (37) | 0.016 | |
| Drugs thought to have contributed to the offence | 5/69 (7) | 69/351 (20) | 0.013 | |
| Service contact | ||||
| Contact with psychiatric services: | ||||
| Any contact (lifetime) | 21/71 (30) | 62/429 (14) | 0.002 | |
| Contact in last year | 14/71 (20) | 33/429 (8) | 0.211 | |
| Offence variables | ||||
| Median age of victim (range) (years) | 39 (0-87) | 34 (0-89) | 0.352 | |
| Male victim | 30/71 (42) | 328/429 (76) | 0.000 | |
| Victim was stranger | 5/68 (7) | 94/377 (25) | 0.001 | |
| Sharp instrument used | 33/71 (46) | 174/424 (41) | 0.390 | |
| Final outcome: | ||||
| Murder | 6/71 (8) | 249/429 (58) | 0.000 | |
| Manslaughter: | ||||
| Diminished responsibility | 44/71 (62) | 25/429 (6) | 0.000 | |
| Other, including provocation and self defence | 18/71 (25) | 152/429 (35) | 0.000 | |
| Infanticide | 3/71 (4) | 2/429 (1) | 0.000 | |
| Disposal: | ||||
| Prison | 32/71 (45) | 410/429 (96) | 0.000 | |
| Hospital order with or without restriction | 34/71 (48) | 11/429 (3) | 0.000 | |
| Other | 5/71 (7) | 8/429 (2) | 0.000 | |