Citation

Fearnley D, Williams T. Med. Sci. Law 2001; 41(1): 58-62.

Affiliation

Scott Clinic, Rainhill Road, St Helens, Merseyside WA9 5BD.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, British Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11219126

Abstract

Many people referred to a forensic psychiatry service will have displayed impulsive aggression. There are few validated tests to allow a quantitative measurement of such behaviour. The Monroe Dyscontrol Scale (MDS) arose from work that recognized certain symptoms in people who had impulsive aggression, the so-called 'episodic dyscontrol syndrome'. This study uses the MDS in two groups of people who were referred to a forensic psychiatry service. One was a group of 'mentally disordered' in-patients, and the other comprised consecutive referrals to the service. The groups were compared and certain features noted. The most interesting feature was that a family history of epilepsy was common, and associated with high scores on the MDS. The value of the MDS, and the importance of a family history of epilepsy, are discussed.

Language: en