Characteristics of Epilepsy Patients who Committed Violent Crimes: Report from the National Forensic Hospital

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We investigated the clinical and criminal characteristics of patients with epilepsy who had committed violent crimes in order to understand the mechanism of violence and to prevent future criminal activity. METHODS: We reviewed medical and legal reports of criminals with epilepsy who were incarcerated in the Korean National Forensic Hospital between October 2007 and September 2008. RESULTS: Of 761 criminals admitted to the National Forensic Hospital, 17 patients (2.2%) were diagnosed with epilepsy. All of them had localization-related epilepsy, and no patient reported an overt seizure attack around the time of a crime. Psychosis was present in eight patients, and seven patients were in a drunken state at the time of the crimes. There was a positive correlation between the patients’ age at their first crime and their intelligence quotient score. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that most violent crimes take place during interictal periods, and diverse medical conditions, including inebriation, psychosis, and low intelligence, are associated with violent crimes among epileptic patients.