OBJECTIVE: To study aspects of the delusion that can be related to the occurrence of violent crime for delusion patients. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study comparing two groups of 30 psychotic delusional patients. The study group consisted of delusional patients imprisoned in a high security forensic hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and the patients in the comparative group were enrolled in common psychiatric wards. The PANSS, the MINI and the MMDAS scales were used. RESULTS: Regarding the dimensions of delusions, the study group had lower scores in "refraining from acting because of belief" and "negative affect". CONCLUSION: Delusions that induce inhibition of actions apparently also reduce the potential for violent acts and, contrary to current beliefs, delusional patients who are frightened or who have other negative affects associated with delusional ideas appear to commit fewer violent acts. Therefore, intrinsic factors inherent to some delusion dimensions may be relevant in the occurrence of violent crimes committed by psychotic patients.
Psychotic disorder; delusion; crime
