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Violence by people with psychiatric disorders is an important issue. This study from Sweden, which has comprehensive population-wide data, examined possible associations between bipolar disorder and risk for violence.
Using 1973–2004 national hospital discharge data, researchers identified 3743 individuals with bipolar disorder diagnosed on at least two occasions; controls were 37,429 age- and sex-matched unaffected people from the general population and 4059 unaffected full siblings. All were cross-referenced to a database of all convictions for violent crimes. A meta-analysis of published studies on the topic was also conducted.
The prevalence of violent crime was 8.4% in patients, 3.5% in population controls, and 6.2% in siblings; adjusted…