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Electroencephalography, computed tomography and violence ratings of male patients in a maximum‐security mental hospital
Author(s) -
Wong M. T. H.,
Lumsden J.,
Fenton G. W.,
Fenwick P. B. C.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1994.tb01562.x
Subject(s) - computed tomography , electroencephalography , mental hospital , psychiatry , psychology , psychiatric hospital , suicide prevention , injury prevention , medical emergency , poison control , medicine , radiology
A retrospective study of brain investigations of 372 male patients in a maximum‐security mental hospital patients is described. All computed tomography (CT) scan and electroencephalography (EEG) reports were collected and rated blind; patients were subsequently divided into 3 groups according to the violence rating of their pre‐admission offending behaviour. The 3 groups were similar in their mean age, psychiatric diagnosis, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale score and proportions of patients investigated with EEG and CT. In the most violent group, 20% had focal temporal electrical abnormalities on EEG (slowing and/or sharp waves) and 41% had structural abnormalities localised to temporal lobe on CT (dilated temporal horn and/or reduced size of temporal lobe). The corresponding figures for the least violent group are 2.4% and 6.7% respectively. These results suggest that high violence rating scores are associated with temporal lobe abnormalities on CT and abnormal temporal electrical discharges on EEG.