Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuropsychological correlates of extreme violence in patients with schizophrenia. It was hypothesised that the most violent patients would show significantly greater impairment on tests sensitive to frontal lobe function than their non-violent counterparts. The study involved twenty-eight patients overall. Fourteen of these were selected from Broadmoor Hospital where they had been incarcerated following an index offence of murder/manslaughter. The control group was a selection of fourteen outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia from Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton. Subjects completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and symptom severity ratings for the two groups were performed by Senior Registrars at the Hospitals. Subjects were matched for age, IQ and length of illness. The findings revealed that there were significant differences on only two of the neuropsychological tests with the non-violent sample showing greater impairments than the violent offenders. Significant differences were found on the symptom rating scales for both positive and negative symptoms. Again, the non-violent group displayed greater symptom severity than the violent sample. The results refuted the primary hypothesis of the study and are discussed in relation to the need for a more detailed analysis of the nature of the murder committed. Consideration of the "protective" environment of Broadmoor is also mentioned in terms of the effects of compliance with medication and adequate nutrition on schizophrenic illness.