Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France.
GHU Paris Neurosciences, Paris, France.
J Forensic Sci. 2023 Mar;68(2):568-577. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.15207. Epub 2023 Feb 18.
Women remain a small minority of homicide offenders and appear to be understudied in the scientific literature. Gender-specific characteristics are however identified by existing studies. The aim of the study was to explore homicides committed by women with mental disorders, by analyzing their sociodemographic, clinical features, and criminological circumstances of the homicide. We conducted a retrospective and descriptive study among all female homicide offenders with mental disorders hospitalized in a French high-secure unit over a 20-year period (n = 30). We found that the female patients we studied were a diverse group in terms of their clinical profiles, backgrounds, and criminological characteristics. Confirming previous studies, we observed an over-representation of young women, unemployed, with a destabilized family situation and history of adverse childhood experiences. Prior self- and hetero-aggressive behavior were frequent. We found a history of suicidal behavior in 40% of cases. Their homicidal acts often occurred impulsively at home, in the evening or at night and were mainly directed toward family members (60%), especially their child(ren) (46.7%), then acquaintances (36.7%), and rarely a stranger. We found symptomatic and diagnostic heterogeneity: schizophrenia (40%), schizoaffective disorder (10%), delusional disorder (6.7%), mood disorders (26.7%), and borderline personality disorder (16.7%). Mood disorders were exclusively unipolar or bipolar depressions, often with psychotic features. The majority of patients had received psychiatric care prior to the act. We identified four subgroups, according to psychopathology and criminal motives: delusional (46.7%), melancholic (20%), homicide-suicide dynamic (16.7%), and impulsive outbursts (16.7%). We consider that further studies are necessary.
女性在凶杀案罪犯中仍然占少数，并且在科学文献中似乎研究不足。然而，现有研究已经确定了一些性别特异性特征。本研究旨在通过分析患有精神障碍的女性凶杀案罪犯的社会人口学、临床特征和凶杀案犯罪情况，来探讨这些凶杀案。我们对一家法国高安全等级机构在 20 年间收治的所有患有精神障碍的女性凶杀案罪犯进行了回顾性和描述性研究（n=30）。我们发现，我们所研究的女性患者在临床特征、背景和犯罪特征方面存在多样性。与以往的研究一致，我们观察到年轻女性、失业者、家庭关系不稳定和有不良童年经历的人比例过高。先前的自我和他向攻击行为很常见。我们发现 40%的病例有自杀行为史。她们的杀人行为通常是冲动发生在家里，在晚上或夜间，主要针对家庭成员（60%），特别是她们的孩子（46.7%），其次是熟人（36.7%），很少是陌生人。我们发现存在症状和诊断的异质性：精神分裂症（40%）、分裂情感性障碍（10%）、妄想障碍（6.7%）、心境障碍（26.7%）和边缘型人格障碍（16.7%）。心境障碍均为单相或双相抑郁，常有精神病特征。大多数患者在案发前曾接受过精神科治疗。根据精神病理学和犯罪动机，我们确定了四个亚组：妄想型（46.7%）、忧郁型（20%）、凶杀-自杀动力型（16.7%）和冲动爆发型（16.7%）。我们认为有必要进一步研究。
