Mental disorders and violence
KONTAXAKIS V.P.

In our age, acts of violent-aggressive-impulsive behaviour as well as self-distructive actions are acute social problems. It is true that psychosocial and biological factors are involved in their manifestation. The risk for a person to develop violent behaviour is always a controversial matter. Amongst mental disorders, alcohol and substance abuse as well as mental retardation are more associated with violent-aggressive behaviour. Besides, a series of other mental disorders such as schizophrenia (notably, paranoid and catatonic schizophrenia when patients do not show optimal response to treatment) certain personality disorders (especially epilepsy) have been associated with violent behaviour. Impulsivity is part of a person's disturbed behaviour and the person is inclined to react fast on impulse without any concern for the consequences to him and the others. Furthermore, it is a characteristic symptom of various mental and behaviour disorders and it is also involved in the pathogenesis of violent and self-destructive behaviours. Suicidal behaviour covers a wide range of behaviours starting with suicidal ideation, progressing to suicide attempts and culminating to completed suicide. According to many researchers, these three suicidality categories are actually scales of the same process. Mental disorders associated with an increased risk of suicide are namely depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse and alcoholism.