Schizophrenics have four times higher potential to commit crime

KUALA LUMPUR: Schizophrenics or persons with mental disorders who fail to get any treatment have a four times higher potential to commit crimes than the ones receiving continuous treatment, said Malaysian Psychiatric Association president Dr Abdul Kadir Abu Bakar.

He said, in fact, schizophrenics who received treatment for their illness, had the lowest potential to commit crime, even lower than normal people.
"So, patients with mental disorders should be given proper and continuous treatment because it will help stabilise their minds and emotions as well as reduce their aggressive and compulsive behaviour.

"This, inadvertently, will reduce their tendencies to commit crimes," he told a press conference in conjunction with Schizophrenia Awareness Day 2010 here today.
Dr Abdul Kadir said among schizophrenic patients, young men had the highest potential to commit crime, but with continuous treatment, the patients could recover with a success rate of 80 per cent.

He said about 2,000 people were diagnosed with schizophrenia every year.
"The incident rate from all over the world is about 15 to 40 schizophrenics for every 100,000 people. So if we calculate, even at the lowest incident rate, we are still missing about 2,000 people with schizophrenia, who are undetected," he said.
Dr Abdul Kadir said family and community intervention were vital to make sure the patients continue taking their medication as the rate of relapse was less than one per cent with the involvement of the family.

Earlier, member of Mental Health Promotion Advisory Council Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye received the Pinel Award 2010 for pioneering a mental healthcare project, while reporters Noor Fazrina Kamal of Utusan Malaysia, Kasmiah Mustapha (New Straits Times) and Lim Cho Noi (Sin Chew Daily) each received the Press Award.