CRIME AND

PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
WHAT IS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY ?
• Just like pathology is the study of the nature of disease
(including causes, development, and
outcomes), psychopathology is the study of the same concepts
within the realm of mental health (or illness).
• This study of mental illness can include a long list of elements:
symptoms, behaviors, causes (genetics, biology, social,
psychological), course, development, categorization,
treatments, strategies, and more.
• Psychopathology refers to the study of mental disorders in
terms of their causes, development, course, classification, and
treatment.
• Psychopathology describes a wide array of mental health
conditions, including but not limited to depression, anxiety
disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and various
personality disorders.
 SIGNS OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Signs of psychopathy vary depending on the nature of the
condition. Some of the signs that a person might be experiencing
some form of psychopathology include:

 Changes in eating habits  Low energy or feelings of

 Changes in mood fatigue
 Excessive worry, anxiety,  Sleep disruptions
or fear  Thoughts of self-harm or
 Feelings of distress suicide
 Inability to concentrate  Trouble coping with daily life
 Irritability or anger  Withdrawal from activities and
friends
 CAUSES OF PSYCHOPATHY
There is not a single cause for psychopathy. There are
number of factors that can increase the risk of mental
illness, including:
 Biological factors, including genes and
brain chemistry
 Chronic medical conditions
 Family members with mental illness
 Feelings of isolation
 Lack of social support
 Substance or alcohol use
 Traumatic or stressful experiences
 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIME AND
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
• Some mentally ill people aren’t classified as psychotics or
neurotics, instead they are said to have a psychopathic personality
• They lack conscience and empathy and are said to possess some
abnormal and psychopathic trends like being ruthless and
unstable
• Bromberg and Thompson (1937:70) said “We have some evidence
derived from the studies of the prisoners which indicates that only
a small percentage of prisoners (about 20%) are clearly psychotic
and that even the percentage of neurotic and psychopathic
prisoners are not very large”
• Thus, it may be concluded that though mental disease may be a
factor in crime, yet it does not inevitably cause crime or
delinquency
 DISORDERS RELATED TO
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Psychopathology can range from mood disorders to
personality disorders and can vary from person to person.
Psychopathology examples include, but are not limited to:

Bipolar Disorder Anti-Social

Disorders Personality disorder

Anxiety Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive

Major
Schizophrenia Disorder
Depressive
Disorder
 BIPOLAR DISORDER
• Serious mood swings, from extreme highs (mania
or “manic” episodes) to lows (depression or
“depressive” episode), are characteristic features of
bipolar disorder.
• Symptoms: When depressed, a person feels
persistently sad, hopeless and lethargic, and may
feel suicidal, among other symptoms. When manic,
a person becomes overly elated, more irritable,
requires less sleep, makes grand plans and may
impulsively engage in potentially dangerous
behavior
 ANXIETY DISORDER
• Worrying that interferes with everyday tasks and is
excessive and persistent is a symptom of
generalized anxiety disorder. Physical symptoms
like restlessness, feeling tense or easily fatigued,
difficulty concentrating, tense muscles, or trouble
sleeping may be present along with this continuous
stress and tension.
• Symptoms: Apprehension, confusion, on edge, a
sense of helplessness, repeated negative thoughts,
muscle tension, palpitations and difficulty breathing
 MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
• It is characterized by a long period of a depressed
mood, loss of pleasure, or lack of interesting
activities.
• It is often triggered by a mix of genetic,
psychological and environmental factors; studies
show that the risk of becoming depressed can be
increased by life events such as poverty, death of a
loved one, physical illness or abuse. For some, the
risk is also hereditary.
• Symptoms: extremely depressed mood
accompanied by slowing down of mental and
physical activity, gloom, despair, feelings of
worthlessness, and thoughts of suicide.
 SCHIZOPHRENIA
• Characterized by distortions in thinking, perception,
emotions, language, sense of self and behavior.
During a psychotic episode, a person may
experience hallucinations and delusions.
• Symptoms: Perception-wise, a person may think
other people are talking about him or her or hear
voices. The person may also feel sad and irritable,
or that he or she is constantly being watched.
Behavior-wise, the person may have difficulty
sleeping, talk to him or herself, and behave
aggressively.
 OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a long-
lasting disorder in which a person experiences
uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions),
engages in repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or
both.
• People with OCD have time-consuming symptoms
that can cause significant distress or interfere with
daily life.
• Symptoms: Fear of contamination or dirt, doubting
and having a hard time dealing with uncertainty,
needing things to be orderly and balanced, and
aggressive or horrific thoughts about losing control
and harming yourself or others.
 ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER
• Antisocial personality disorder, sometimes called
sociopathy, is a mental health condition in which a
person consistently shows no regard for right and
wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others.
• People with antisocial personality disorder tend to
purposely make others angry or upset and
manipulate or treat others harshly or with cruel
indifference.
• They lack remorse or do not regret their behavior.
• Symptoms: Ignoring right and wrong, Telling lies to
take advantage of others, Not being sensitive to or
respectful of others.
 IS PSYCHOPATHY HEREDITARY ?
• Although there isn’t a “psychopathy gene” research indicates
that psychopathy often runs in families. A parent may have
one or more genetic variations that raise their child’s risk of
developing psychopathy even if they do not themselves exhibit
psychopathy.
• Majority of psychological consequences result from the
interplay of hundreds or thousands of genes. About half of the
diversity in psychopathic features is due to the combined
impact of many genes. This implies that some kids have a
higher chance of being psychopaths from birth.
• However, the response to the query, “Is psychopathy a trait
that people are born with?” Psychopathy, like any other
psychological condition, is not inherited. But some infants are
predisposed to becoming psychopaths from birth because of
their genetic factors.
 MENTAL COMPETENCY

• Psychiatric diagnoses are taken into account when determining

whether mentally ill defendants are competent to stand trial or,
in the event that they are, guilty enough to be prosecuted for
their offenses.
• Though the judge may also pronounce a client incompetent, it is
usually the defendant’s lawyer that does so first. A forensic
psychiatrist or psychologist conducts the evaluations. To
ascertain competency, the evaluation consists of a series of
exams and interviews.
 REFERENCES
• https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-
psychopathology-4178942
• https://psychopathyis.org/what-causes-psychopathy
• https://www.ourbetterworld.org/series/mental-
health/support-toolkit/anxiety-schizophrenia-mental-
health-conditions-explained
• https://study.com/academy/lesson/mental-
competency-in-law-definition-evaluation.html
THANK
YOU