There has been a lot of focus on how suffering from depression can lead to self-harm and suicide. In contrast, there has been little investigation of any link between depression and violent behaviour. Experts have heard anecdotal reports, but there has been no rigorous study until now.
Researchers have investigated whether there is a link between suffering from depression and perpetrating violent crime. They have used data from Sweden, comparing patients with depression to members of the general population and, further, assessed risk of violent crime in twin studies.
Experts came along to hear the results of the study, which are being reported in The Lancet Psychiatry, and discuss issues such as:
Speakers:
Prof. Seena Fazel, Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, Honorary Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford
Achim Wolf, Research Assistant, Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology Group, University of Oxford