Evaluation of psychiatric diagnosis, substance use situations, sociodemographic and clinical features of cases in forensic psychiatry unit

Objectives: The aim of the study is to investigate the diagnosis, substance use situations, sociodemographic and clinical features of cases referred from forensic medicine to our forensic psychiatry clinic.

Method: In this study archive files and reports of 412 cases referred from forensic medicine to Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine Forensic Psychiatry Clinic between 2007-2011 years were investigated retrospectively.

Results: Cases in which substance use and dependence were evaluated, cannabis was found to be 57.1%, heroin 14.6%, multiple substances 13.1% and drug 0.5%. Cases that were evaluated with regards to TCK 32, multiple substances were found to be 7.7%, cannabis 6.9%, and heroin 3.8%. Male sex was found to be significantly higher and educational levels were found to be significantly lower in cases in terms of crime, substance use and dependence and evaluated for criminal liability. In our study, cases involved in crime, had the psychiatric diagnoses in order of frequency as substance dependence, psychotic disorders and mood disorders.

Discussion: People with substance use and dependence are too much involved in crime directlyor indirectly depending upon the substance use. These people are frequently enrolled in the judicial system and in this process they are subjects of forensic psychiatry.