Search Here

Researchers have often attributed delusions in psychosis to causing violence since delusions often affect the brains' ability to understand a situation, leading to confusion and an increased level of fear. According to a new study, however, researchers found that people who suffer from psychosis are not necessarily violent as a result of their delusions, but rather, as a result of anger. The head researcher, Dr. Jeremy Coid and his team looked at how anger might have influenced violence in patients diagnosed with psychosis.

Dr. Coid, a professor of psychiatry at Queen Mary University in London observed the behaviors of 458 participants who resided in east London, an inner city area with high levels of poverty and social stress, between the years of 1996-2000. All of the participants were around 31 when they suffered their first psychotic break. All of the participants were diagnosed with psychosis by hospitals, local mental health centers, and/or the criminal justice system. The researchers found that anger was a strong contributing factor to violence. They concluded that 31 percent of minor violent acts resulted from anger related delusions. The percentage went up to 56 in extreme violent incidences.

Of the 458 participants, more than half of them suffered from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and depression or bipolar disorder. 14 percent of them were diagnosed with psychotic depression and 10 percent had bipolar disorder. The rest of the participants had less common psychotic disorders. The researchers recorded that two thirds of the participants never performed a violent act. 26 percent of them carried out minor violent acts and 12 percent performed seriously violent acts, which would include the use of weapons.

Aside from evaluating the relationship between anger and violence in psychosis, the researchers also noted that younger patients, generally males, tended to engage in serious violent behavior. When it came to minor violent acts, there was little difference between women and men.

This finding is important in understanding how anger can play a role in these patients. If they do not have a constant source of anger, their delusions might actually be harmless to the community.

The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.