NCJ Number
150396
Journal
Behavioral Sciences and the Law Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1994) Pages: 235-249
Date Published
1994
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Using a sample of 16 women, all of whom were referred for forensic psychiatry services, this article examines a subgroup of the abused female population whose behavior is dangerous not only to themselves but to others.
Abstract
Eighty-one percent of the women had suffered childhood sexual abuse and 50 percent physical abuse at the hands of designated caregivers; they all described psychopathology that was potentially or actually dangerous, and they seemed to harbor particularly hostile feelings toward female health care professionals. The women had been referred for treatment for various reasons, including a history of arson, a charge of fraud or false allegation, a history of violence, and assessment of dangerousness to others. As adults, 56 percent had been physically or sexually abused and 38 percent reported raped or sexually assaulted. Ninety-four percent of the sample had psychiatric diagnoses prior to referral to the department, the most common being personality disorder. Eighty-one percent of the women had criminal histories; 62 percent had been convicted on at least one charge of personal assault. They had also perpetrated many incidents of violence, not all reported to the police. All the patients had committed at least one act of deliberate self-harm, and 87 percent were multiple repeaters. 6 figures and 72 references