Sök artiklar i SveMed+

Tidskrift

Sammanfattning

Background: Use of multiple substances and amphetamines increases risk of violent behaviour among individuals with severe mental disorders. Objective: This study compares the importance of different drugs for violence risk in patients with severe mental disorders. This was done by examining (1) whether there is an elevated risk of violence associated with non-paranoid and paranoid psychosis, TCO symptoms and the use of stimulants, cannabis, opioids and alcohol, and (2) if there are specific combinations of these factors that increase the risk of violence. Method: The incidence of substance use, violence, Perceived Threat and Control Override symptoms (TCO), and diagnoses were identified in a group of male patients (N = 146) with repeated or prolonged hospitalisation in a psychiatric hospital. Significant variables from the bivariate analyses were entered individually and in pairs in stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Alcohol and cannabis were associated with a significantly higher risk of violent behaviour, with odds ratios (OR) of 6.4 and 6.7, respectively. Stimulant use was not a significant predictor of violence when the effect of cannabis was controlled for. Among diagnoses and symptoms, the TCO symptom ‘to feel controlled by external forces’ significantly increased violence risk (OR 5.8). Introducing TCO in the regression analyses increased the OR for violence in patients with alcohol and cannabis use. Conclusion: The combination of alcohol and cannabis use with the delusion that one’s thoughts are controlled by forces beyond one’s control, may significantly increase risk of violent behaviour in individuals with severe mental illness.

MeSH