[Offensive and criminal acts in schizophrenia: comparative study according to gender].

Background: Schizophrenia does not involve the same risk of violence among women than men. The offensive and criminal acts were less studied in women.

Aims: To raise the sex ratio of the criminal acts and to seek the characteristics and the risk factors of this female violence.

Methods: We carried out a comparative descriptive retrospective study, including 107 patients having schizophrenia according to criteria's of the DSM IV, hospitalized due to insanity according to article 38 of the Tunisian Penal Code.

Results: The sex ratio was 1 woman for 10 men. The women were older at the time of the offence or criminal act (46 years, 39 years), men were more often unmarried or divorced (50% vs 89.7%) and had more psychiatric family history (30% vs 40,2%). The duration of untreated psychoses was longer among women (65.3 months vs 22.4 months). The women more often made homicides or attempts of homicides (70%, 33%), the infanticides were raised only among women and arsons were noted only among men. The hospitalization was significantly longer among women (18.8 monthsvs 11.2 months).

Conclusion: The preventive of offence and criminal acts in schizophrenia is also necessary among women as men.