Murders by schizophrenia sufferers 'rare'

Published on Sunday 11 October 2009 22:24

THE chances of being killed by someone suffering from schizophrenia is only one in 14 million.

Homicides by people suffering from a mental illness who are unknown to their victims are "exceptionally rare and unpredictable", scientists claim in research published in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.

They said the findings showed public fears about being killed by a mentally ill stranger were "completely misplaced".

The study was compiled from data gathered in Australia, Canada, Finland and the Netherlands.

The rate of stranger killings by people with schizophrenia is estimated to be one in 14 million a year in developed countries.

Stranger-killers were likely to be homeless and to have a history of anti-social behaviour.

Those killed were more likely to be male and the homicides rarely occurred in a victim's home or workplace. More than half the perpetrators in both groups had never received treatment for schizophrenia.

Co-author Dr Olav Nielssen, from the University of New South Wales, said: "It would be impossible to predict who might commit this sort of offence and when they might occur.

"However, most of the patients in the study were not receiving treatment, and providing earlier treatment to first-episode patients and a good standard of care to all patients with established illness could prevent some of these tragic events."