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.