NCJ Number
83711
Journal
American Journal of Psychiatry Volume: 139 Issue: 7 Dated: (July 1982) Pages: 882-887
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper reports a finding of psychomotor epilepsy in 18 of 97 incarcerated juvenile males and explores the relationship of epileptic symptoms to violence in this group.
Abstract
Investigators included a child psychologist, a neurologist, and a research data analyst with special training in epidemiology and public health. Study methodology involved development of a scale to assess and categorize degrees of violence. Psychiatric and neurological evaluations were conducted, and sleep electroencephalograms performed when possible. The following clinical features were classified as psychomotor symptoms: episodes of loss of conscious contact with reality, loss of memory for particular acts, inability to understand conversations, dizzy spells, hallucinations, and anxiety without provocation. A total of 78 percent of the boys studied had one or more symptoms characteristic of psychomotor epilepsy. A significant positive correlation between number of psychomotor symptoms and degree of violence was observed. Paranoid ideation and hallucinations were characteristic of this epileptic population and in many instances contributed to the violent acts. The diagnosis of epilepsy is often missed in the case of violent youthful offenders. A table and 20 references are included.