Swedish scientists, while conducting a study on the relationship between violent crime and the adherence to treatments used for specific mental illnesses, have come to a conclusion that could change how treatment is managed for some individuals. They have found that patients taking antipsychotic drugs could be 45 percent less likely to commit acts of violence.

Researchers analyzed data collected from national databases in Sweden to compare patients who were taking antipsychotic drugs or mood stabilizers and the rates of incarceration resulting from a violent crime. Also available to them were databases that allowed them to examine arrests with no conviction for violent crimes, hospitalizations and drug related offenses.

Data revealed a reduction in crime rates during the 2006 to 2009 period in which over 80,000 patients were prescribed antipsychotic or mood stabilizing drugs.

Patients were considered to be actively taking their oral medication if they had a prescription on file that was less than four months old. This interval was chosen because oral medications are typically prescribed in three month intervals. Antipsychotic medications given by injection were considered active if the prescription was less than a year old.

Researchers point out that most people with mental illness are not violent, but there are certain types of mental illness that create symptoms such as paranoia, delusions and aggression stemming from irritability and anger. These symptoms increase the probability that violent acts can occur when a patient goes untreated.

According to researches, the study highlights the importance of adhering to treatment. They suggest two possible ways to increase treatment adherence, one in which psychiatrists educate their patients, and another where policy makers consider policies that allow treating people with psychotic symptoms against their will. The goal would not be to compromise individual rights, but to instead protect individuals and society from untreated illnesses that breed aggressive behavior.

There are some limitations to the study, however. It is possible that the criteria for determining an active participant of treatment were flawed and did not render an accurate picture of compliance. The effects of clinical treatment on reducing aggressive behavior was not accounted for. Databases regarding violent crimes are also viewed as incomplete, with the example given that crimes like domestic abuse may go unreported. These limitations do not entirely dismiss the 45 percent reduction in violent crimes that were reported, though and scientists in Sweden feel that more research is needed to determine just how beneficial treatment compliance can be to societies.