Victimization of The Mentally Ill

Abstract

Background

Persons with mental disorders living in the community are liable for victimization and are considered as a high-risk group.

Objective

To explore the socio-demographic variables and clinical characteristics related to victimization of patients with schizophrenia in comparison to their non-victimized counterparts.

Subjects and methods

One hundred patients were recruited from the inpatient wards and outpatient clinics of the institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University. They were subjected to Structured Clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I diagnosis (clinical version); Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS); Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF); Clinical Global Impression (CGI); designed extensive questionnaire to elicit demographic data; inquiry about drug compliance and Victimization Questionnaire.

Results

Seventy patients of the studied sample were non-victimized and 30 patients were victimized. Victimized patients were significantly younger, living mainly in urban areas, had less frequent history of bullying at school. There were exposed significantly to higher frequency of family domestic violence and childhood abuse. They scored higher for all subscales and in total PANSS scores and they were less compliant on medication than did their non-victimized counterparts.

Conclusion

Studies of victimization of mentally ill did not draw the attention of researchers and clinicians in Arab world. This study proves that victimization is not uncommon among patients with schizophrenia; clinicians should include assessment for victimization of their patients as a routine work. The current study provides preliminary data for clinicians and policy makers to consider strategies to protect patients with various mental illnesses from being victimized.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.