Benzodiazepine use of community-based violent offenders: a preliminary investigation

Abstract

Declarations of interestWe declare that none of the authors are in receipt of financial support, or have any relationship that may pose a conflict in relation to the content presented in the submitted manuscript. Dan Lubman has received speaking honorarium from AstraZeneca and Janssen, as well as provided consultancy advice to Lundbeck. Suzanne Nielsen is an investigator on untied educational grants from Reckitt Benckiser.BENZODIAZEPINES AND VIOLENT CRIME 3 Benzodiazepine use of community-based violent offenders: A preliminary investigation. Abstract Objective:To explore the relationship between benzodiazepine use and violent crime in a sample of community-based offenders. Methods:Participants were recruited via drug diversion and treatment programs in Melbourne, Australia. Data regarding benzodiazepine and other substance use, mental health, personality characteristics, and crime involvement was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in 2011. Participants (n = 82, 79.3% male) were 21-56 years old, predominantly Australian-born (89%), with 14.6% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.Eligibility criteria were having been charged with a criminal offence in the previous six months and at least monthly benzodiazepine use. Group differences between violent (n = 11) and non-violent offenders were assessed via independent samples t-tests (two-tailed) and non-parametric tests. Results:Individuals charged with violent index offences were significantly more likely to use higher average doses of alprazolam (p = .040), and exhibit benzodiazepine dependence (p = .037) as well as report high levels of sensation seeking, prior violence, and the diagnoses of depression and personality disorder, than individuals charged with non-violent index offences. Conclusions:The findings suggest the existence of a complex dynamic between mental health and violent offending that may be influenced by benzodiazepine use, in particular alprazolam. A core BENZODIAZEPINES AND VIOLENT CRIME 4 implication of these preliminary findings includes attending to the interpersonal skills and adaptive coping resources of violent offenders.

Relationship Between Benzodiazepine Prescription, Aggressive Behavior, and Behavioral Disinhibition: A Case-control Study in a Swiss Prison

“…This suggests that control variables might have captured a previous tendency towards aggressive behavior (re ected by the type of offenses) and psychiatric disorders associated with aggressiveness or disinhibited behaviors (re ected by the prescription of other psychotropic medications). This nding is in line with studies showing that therapeutic doses of BZD are not associated with heightened aggressive behavior [27,28], but it is in contrast to other research that reports an association between use of BZD and aggressive behavior [1,23]. Importantly, we also found no association between the dosage of BZD and duration of their use and almost all kinds of punishable behaviors.…”

“…Furthermore, violent crime was associated with unusually high doses of BZD [26], whereas there was no increase in impulsive behavior with therapeutic doses of BZD [27]. In a recent study, Albrecht et al [28]. concluded that high BZD doses were not su cient to increase the risk of violence.…”

Relationship between benzodiazepine prescription, aggressive behavior, and behavioral disinhibition: a retrospective study in a Swiss prison

“…This suggests that control variables might have captured a previous tendency towards aggressive behavior (reflected by the type of offenses) and psychiatric disorders associated with aggressiveness or disinhibited behaviors (reflected by the prescription of other psychotropic medications). This finding is in line with studies showing that therapeutic doses of BZD are not associated with heightened aggressive behavior [28,29], but it is in contrast to other research that reports an association between use of BZD and aggressive behavior [1,24]. Importantly, we also found no association between the dosage of BZD and duration of their use and almost all kinds of punishable behaviors among detained persons who received BZD.…”

“…Furthermore, violent crime was associated with unusually high doses of BZD [27], whereas there was no increase in impulsive behavior with therapeutic doses of BZD [28]. In a recent study, Albrecht et al [29] concluded that high BZD doses were not sufficient to increase the risk of violence. These disparate findings make it difficult to understand the role of BZD as a treatment option in the prison setting.…”

Intra- and extra-familial child homicide in Sweden 1992–2012: A population-based study

“…The most intriguing finding is that of benzodiazepines being significantly more common in homicide offenders than victims. Indeed, in forensic-psychiatric practice as well as in academia and in other contexts, these substances have been shown to be associated with violent behavior (Albrecht et al, 2014(Albrecht et al, , 2017K. Jones, Nielsen, Bruno, Frei, & Lubman, 2011;Rouve et al, 2011), agitation and paradoxical reactions (Bramness, Skurtveit, & Mørland, 2006), as well as increased all-cause mortality (Kripke, Langer, & Kline, 2012;Tiihonen, Suokas, Suvisaari, Haukka, & Korhonen, 2012).…”