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How can clinicians know when psychotic patients are at increased risk for violence? These researchers cross-referenced 30 years of data from nationwide Swedish registries to calculate the likelihood of committing a violent crime within a week of certain specific events in 35,000 people diagnosed with schizophrenia, 30,000 diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and 2,763,000 unaffected controls.
The definition of violent crimes required conviction for such acts as homicide, assault, robbery, illegal threats/coercion, kidnapping, arson, and sexual offenses. Violence triggers were exposure to violence, parental bereavement, self-harm, traumatic brain injury, accidental injury, or substance intoxication.
The incidence of violent crime was highest in th…