Sex offenders have mental illness

Men convicted of rape or other sexual offences have a much higher-than-average rate of serious mental illness and a history of psychiatric hospitalisation. Experts have traditionally held the view that the mentally ill are not more likely to be sexual offenders. However, part of this belief may have stemmed from comparisons with people convicted of murder, who appear to have a higher rate of psychiatric disorders than sex offenders. The following study compared male sexual offenders with men in the general population and found that the offenders were six times more likely to have ever been hospitalised for a mental illness. This raises the possibility that identifying and treating these disorders could lower the odds of offenders repeating their crimes. Researchers from the Oxford University, UK, based their findings on data from Sweden's system of population registers, which included databases on criminal convictions and hospitalisations for psychiatric illness. They compared 8,495 men convicted of sexual offences between 1988 and 2000 with a sample of 19,935 men from the general population. It was found that sex offenders were five times more likely to have been hospitalised for schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, and were three times more likely to have a history of bipolar disorder (maniac depressive psychosis). They also had a four-fold greater risk of alcohol or drug dependence, and were 30 times more likely to have been diagnosed with a personality disorder. In all, 24 percent of sexual offenders had a history of psychiatric hospitalisation, versus less than 5 percent of men in the general population. The findings should not be used to stigmatise people with psychiatric disorders. The criminal justice system needs to be aware that people who show signs of being unwell need to be assessed. However, the study does suggest that an important minority of sexual offenders have serious psychiatric disorders. Future studies need to look at whether appropriate treatment might lower the chances of repeat offences.