Psychiatric Medications May Reduce Violent Crime In Patients With Mental Illness

The Wall Street Journal (5/8, A6, Wang, Subscription Publication) reports that according to a study published online May 8 in The Lancet, people with severe mental illnesses appear to be far less likely to commit violent crimes if they are on antipsychotics.

The Los Angeles Times (5/8, Healy) reports that “among the study’s 82,647 subjects–all of them prescribed an antipsychotic or mood-stabilizing drug at some point between 2006 and 2009–routinely taking an antipsychotic drug was linked to a 29% reduced probability of being convicted of a drug-related charge, a 22% decline in convictions for any crime, and a 26% reduction in the likelihood of arrest on suspicion of having committed a violent crime.”

Related Links:

— “Medications Cut Violence Among Mentally Ill in Study,” Shirley S. Wang, Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2014.

Posted in In The News.