Psychotic symptoms associated with crime
This is the reason that the organizers of the Third Congress of the Córdoba Psychiatric Association decided that this year's edition (held on 25 and 26 November), the contents focus on publicizing the relationship between Psychiatry and Criminal Law.
"For the first time we will bring together specialists in psychiatry and criminal law experts to analyze the same offense on both sides," says Dr. Francisco González Carmona, president of the Psychiatric Association of Cordoba and the organizing committee, which has the support of AstraZeneca.
The mental disorders, more often associated with crimes in Spain are major depressive disorder with psychotic and delusional disorders. In addition, the drug is associated with a high percentage of crimes, but in this case tend to be much more serious than the theft to go every day getting the dose needed to maintain the addiction.
And, the fact that anyone who commits a crime is a person with a psychiatric disorder should be taken into account when the trial. "Before and after a crime expert expert opinion, it can be argued, psychiatrically, that a person has a mental disorder, for the judge to decide if, then, declared unimpeachable to the defendant, if he does, or if you apply a reduction to sentence imposed, "Dr. Gonzalez Carmona concrete.
Psychiatry has evolved in such a way that has influenced the legal concepts. However, experts believe that there is still work to do. "Therefore, says the president of the organizing committee, on this day we try to lawyers and the criminal law to make an effort to adapt to current psychiatric concepts of our Western world and psychiatric knowledge we have.
The program of this conference includes four large nuclei. One of them, are depressive disorders, as a compassionate homicide. "In this case we speak for example of those cases in which a father or mother both want their children to believe that the best we can do is kill and prevent suffering from a terrible existence in the shadowy world that they have to live , which is how they see the world depression. "
A second group of disorders has to do with drug addiction and the crimes they commit can reach those people who have a serious dependence on certain substances and to ensure offenders maintain their addiction.
The third of the topics to be discussed at the conference is that of the paraphilias and specifically, the analysis of pederasty. And finally, delusional psychotic disorders, for example, "the crime could be committed by a person who, by their delusions, misinterprets reality, and from that misunderstanding, build your reality. It could be for someone who feels harassed and threatened and is convinced that they want to kill him so therefore will do anything to defend themselves, "explains Dr. Gonzalez Carmona.
But what are judged to these people in these cases? The prosecution of psychiatric patients or those who consider that might be, needs a psychiatric expert opinion to determine if the crime has occurred due to some type of mental disorder if they had not been diagnosed before the crime or confirm the presence of the disorder in patients who were already diagnosed.
"With the information provided by psychiatrists about the mental state of the accused, and is not binding, the judge will declare the unimpeachable psychiatric patient or attributable wholly or partially, and therefore condemn him."
In the event that finally the people's court judge or unimpeachable declare the person who committed the crime, two things can happen: one, to a felony the accused may be sent to a psychiatric prison and meets there the sentence or two, in less serious cases, the sentencing judge that person to continue an ongoing psychiatric treatment and controlled monthly by a psychiatrist who, in addition, make sure you are taking medication for.
As with all diseases, "the medicine is not taken, not work." So says Dr. Gonzalez Carmona, the importance of people with mental illness receive treatment to minimize symptoms and help them control their disease. In fact, there is evidence that treatment wards off the symptoms of mental disorders in about 90% of cases.
However, many patients who feel that the medication does not help, they want to avoid secondary problems or consider to be better and have fewer symptoms, they may abandon the treatment. "And therein lies the error. It is confirmed that people with psychiatric illness who do commit crimes, either because they are diagnosed and have no established treatment, or because, even having it, do not comply. "
Dr. Gonzalez Carmona, concludes with a reflection: "It is difficult to control in these patients the only treatment compliance in the query, so the law should consider the possibility that sentences the accused to compel compliance and, if that is not made, it is envisaged sending to prison as a deterrent to such person is properly treated. "