Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37724335›Full record

ArticleBJPsych open2023

Homicide in the context of psychosis: analysis of prior service utilisation and age at onset of illness and violence.

Stephanie R Penney, Austin A Lam, Nathan Kolla, Krystle Martin, Kimberly Belfry, Alexander I F Simpson

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BJPsych open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Forensic mental health service use in early psychosis: A scoping review.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026
    Review
  2. Aberrant deaths: a conundrum in domestic homicide reviews.Psychiatry, psychology, and law : an interdisciplinary journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Stephanie R PenneyComplex Care and Recovery Program, Forensic Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5890-4163
Austin A LamDepartment of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1600-6055
Nathan KollaComplex Care and Recovery Program, Forensic Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7578-723X
Krystle MartinOntario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Whitby, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0419-8328
Kimberly BelfryWaypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7618-3080
Alexander I F SimpsonComplex Care and Recovery Program, Forensic Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0478-2583
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health · CAOntario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences · CAUniversity of Toronto · CAWaypoint Centre for Mental Health Care · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPublic stigma and fear are heightened in cases of extreme violence perpetrated by persons with serious mental illness (SMI). Prevention efforts require understanding of illness patterns and treatment needs prior to these events unfolding.

aimsTo examine mental health service utilisation by persons who committed homicide and entered into forensic care, to investigate the adequacy of mental healthcare preceding these offences.

methodForensic patients across two mental health hospitals in Ontario with an admitting offence of homicide between 2011 and 2021 were identified (

resultsMost patients (75.7%) had mental health contacts preceding the homicide, with 28.4% having a psychiatric in-patient admission in the year prior. For those with service contacts in the year preceding, 50.9% had had only sporadic contact and 70.7% were non-adherent with prescribed medications. Victims were commonly known to the individual (35.7%) and were often family members in care-providing roles (55.4%). Examination of age at onset of illness and offending patterns suggested that most persons admitted to forensic care for homicide act in the context of illness and exhibit a low frequency of pre-homicide offending.

conclusionsMany individuals admitted to forensic care for homicide have had inadequate mental healthcare leading up to this point. Effective responses to reduce and manage risk should encompass services that proactively address illness-related (e.g. earlier access and better maintenance in care) and criminogenic (e.g. substance use treatment, employment and psychosocial supports) domains.

Indexed as

forensic mental healthHomicidepsychosisservice utilisationvictims

Identifiers

PMID37724335
PMCPMC10594185
OpenAlexW4386843214

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.