A Developing World Perspective on Homicide and Mental Disorder: An Eighteen-Year Retrospective Study (1980–1998) at Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

We examined the association between mental disorder and homicide in a developing country. Specifically, we studied culpable homicide offenders referred for psychiatric evaluation in Northern Nigeria, including their psychiatric diagnoses and their relationship with victims. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect forensic, demographic, and clinical information from 12,500 patients who underwent court-ordered psychiatric evaluations at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Of all patients evaluated at the hospital, 1.3% had committed a homicide. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis among homicide offenders; there were relatively low rates of antisocial personality disorder and substance dependence. Most offenders knew their victims. The mean duration of time between arrest and psychiatric assessment was 24 months, with a range between 6 to 192 months. We discuss the implications of these findings with respect to motivations for homicide, the evaluation of offenders, and the need for treatment and follow-up of patients.