[Homicide and major mental disorder: what are the social, clinical, and forensic differences between murderers with a major mental disorder and murderers without any mental disorder?]. / Homicide et maladie mentale grave: quelles sont les différences sociodémographiques, cliniques et criminologiques entre des meurtriers malades mentaux graves et ceux indemnes de troubles psychiatriques?

OBJECTIVES: To establish the social, clinical, and forensic differences between murderers suffering from a major mental disorder and murderers without any psychiatric disorder and, in particular, to compare their respective records of psychiatric symptoms and their respective relationship with their victims. METHOD: We studied 210 forensic examinations of murderers, the offences related to the murders, and the social and clinical information collected from psychiatric court reports on persons convicted of homicide. Firstly, we identified the socio-demographic, clinical and criminological profiles of 210 murderers from which were distinguished murderers with major mental disorder. Then, we compared the profiles of murderers suffering from a major mental disorder with those of murderers without any mental disease. In other words, we compared 37 persons affected with major mental disorder (schizophrenia, paranoiac delusional disorder, and affective disorder) with 73 persons without any mental disorder. We deliberately excluded subjects with personality disorder or abuse of/dependency on drugs, mental retardation or dementia. RESULTS: With the exception of certain variables, murderers with major mental disorder have the same characteristics as others murderers: young man, living alone, with psychiatric and offence records and substance abuse. Murderers with major mental disorder are older (37.8 versus 31.7 years old) than perpretators without any mental disorder, and the former have a psychiatric record more often than the latter (81 versus 32.9%). In addition, contrary to the latter, the former show clinical symptoms of a psychopathological process. Depression, delusional and suicidal ideas are frequent among murderers with a major mental disorder, whereas the persons without mental disorder quarrel or have a row with their victim just before their crime. The victim was known to the perpetrator significantly more often in the major mental disorder group than in the no mental disorder group (94,6 versus 76,7%, p=0,008). The most major mental disorders' homicide was more likely to be against intimates than strangers. The application of the former article 64 or the present article 122-1 of the French Criminal Code are envisaged more often in the major mental disorder group than in the no mental disorder group. CONCLUSION: The main difference between murderers with a major mental disorder and murderers without any mental disorder is the psychopathology of the morbid process which underlies the homicide. Impairment of judgment at the time of the crime should be taken into account. As a clinician, we should focus our attention on general risk factors of violence and homicide (male, young, underprivileged class, abuse of alcohol) and on more specific factors (mental disorder co-morbidities...). To these factors should be added the dynamic characteristics of the meeting of the protagonists.

[Homicide and psychosis: criminological particularities of schizophrenics, paranoiacs and melancholic. A review of 27 expertises]. / Homicide et psychose: particularités criminologiques des schizophrènes, des paranoïaques et des mélancoliques. A propos de 27 expertises.

INTRODUCTION: During the night of the 11 to 12 of December 2002, Mathieu X. 21 years old, convinced he was defending himself from evil human beings decapitated a nurse and an auxiliary nurse of the psychiatrist hospital. This crime, which received saturated media coverage, obviously raises questions about the dangerous and violent nature of the mentally ill, which can sometimes culminate in homicide. Firmly rooted in the collective consciousness is the popular idea that someone who kills an unknown person in the street is mentally ill. Conversely, the epidemiological data are reassuring; only 15% of such crimes are committed by the seriously mentally ill (schizophrenia, paranoia, melancholia). AIM: Typing and comparison of homicides committed by schizophrenic, paranoiac and melancholic persons. METHOD: Several murders committed by psychotic persons are presented in this article. This retrospective study shows several types of pathological murder (schizophrenia, paranoiac delirious disorder, affective disorder: melancholia and hypomania). Twenty-seven cases have been selected and analysed from 268 cases prepared over 30 years by two psychiatrists, whose diagnoses were schizophrenia, paranoia, melancholia or hypomania. RESULTS: From these 268 cases of homicide examined, 27 murderers were psychotic. Ten of these were young, single, jobless, male schizophrenics: they drank little alcohol. Most of them had a criminal history. They were paranoid schizophrenics whose hallucinatory mechanisms fed mostly persecuted, sexual and metaphysical themes. Forty percent of them were disorganised, and half of them showed negative features. They knew their victim (family, friends). Nine others were paranoiac, for the most part male, older, married, family men, without psychiatric or criminal record. Intuitions with delirious fed persecuted (77%), jealous (40%) or prejudicial themes. They murdered their wife or husband or neighbour. Alcohol consumption was often involved. Schizophrenic and paranoiac murderers often have an emotional temper. Conversely, melancholic murderers are mostly female aged around 30, married, family women, drinking little alcohol. Two-thirds of them have psychiatric records of depression, bipolar disorders and attempted suicide. Altruism is the most frequent delirious theme. Their murders are more often premeditated. They know the victim: child or partner. Suicide often follows the murder.

[Accounting failures in public officials or notaries. Medico-legal approach]. / Les défaillances comptables chez les officiers publics ou ministériels. Approche Médico-Légale.

Considering 11 cases of psychiatric expert reports in criminal cases, the author's aim is to describe the criminological aspects of offences by notaries, mainly swindle and breach of trust. It appears that can be found in this professional category, personality types already described for "closely acquainted", or business crooks, as well as four obviously pathological cases, coming within the provisions of article 64 of the criminal code. Beyond the fact that there is a specific pre-criminal situation: dealing with contracts, assets, funds etc... the authors notices in several cases a discrepancy between the weak and immature personality of some notaries and the importance of the office with which they are entrusted. Thus the requirement of ability and sufficient professional qualification was not always met. The authors would be interested in further similar observations, to confirm or infirm their conclusions.