Victimization of the mentally ill

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Individuals with serious mental illnesses constitute a group particularly vulnerable to victimization. This major susceptibility to violent crimes is due to the impairment of their cognitive functions and to the living conditions of these individuals. OBJECTIVES: This paper aimed to perform a systematic review of the literature about the occurrence and factors associated with victimization in this population, in addition to evaluate the national literature about the subject. METHODS: Publications that assessed the prevalence of victimization in individuals with serious mental illness were analyzed. Medline (1966 to February 2013) and Lilacs (1982 to February 2013) databases were searched. Separate searches were conducted for the keywords "mental illness", "psychiatric disorder(s)", "mental disorder(s)", "schizophrenia", "psychosis", "psychotic", "depression", "bipolar", combined with each of the following keywords: "victimization", "victimisation", "sexual abuse", "physical abuse". RESULTS: Twenty papers were found. There were no publications on the topic in national and Latin-American literature. Although they present differences in methodology, in the concept of victimization and in sociodemographic and clinic variables, the studies showed that patients with serious mental disorders present higher risk of victimization if compared to the general population. The main factors associated with victimization were substance use, young age, severe symptomatology, recent history of violence perpetration, criminal history, male gender, and homelessness. DISCUSSION: Individuals with serious mental illnesses show high rates of victimization. The theme deserves to be studied in our midst.