Citation

Bourget D, Gagne P, Labelle ME. J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 2007; 35(3): 306-312.

Affiliation

Royal Ottawa Hospital, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 7K4, Canada. E.-mail: dbourget@rohcg.on.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Publisher American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17872550

Abstract

Between 1990 and 2005, 64 parents were killed by their children in the province of Quebec, Canada. The authors reviewed all consecutive coroners' files on these cases and found that 27 mothers and 37 fathers were the victims of parricide. The sample included 56 perpetrators: 52 sons and 4 daughters; 9 cases of double parricide were found. Approximately 15 percent of the perpetrators (8/56) attempted suicide following the parricide. A psychiatric motive (stemming from depression or psychotic illness) was determined for 65.5 percent (36/56) of the perpetrators, and 67 percent of them had a psychotic disorder. Similarities and differences were found between cases of matricide and patricide.

Language: en