Subsequent criminal participation among young people first admitted to psychiatric inpatient care during early and middle adolescence

Abstract

ABSTRACT Adolescents brought before court suffer excessively of mental disorders. Less is known about subsequent criminal participation of adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Our register study comprised all subjects that had between 1980 and 2010 been admitted to psychiatric inpatient care in Finland for the first time in their lives at ages 13–17 (n = 16 842), identified in the Care Register for Health Care and followed up for up to 10 years in the Register of Prosecutions, Sentences and Punishments. Incidence of register entry for any crime was 2.4/100 person-years, 4.0 in males and 1.9 in females. Incidence of violent crime was 0.9/100 person-years, 1.5 in males and 0.3 in females. Greatest risk for subsequent crime was associated with diagnoses of conduct, personality and substance use disorders (F90–92, F60–69, F10–19). Schizophrenia group diagnoses (F20–29) were associated with lowest risk. Later criminality was manifold among those who already had a crime register entry before the index treatment. Need for psychiatric inpatient care during adolescence associates with a great risk of antisocial development. Treatment needs to address this risk by systematically implementing evidence-based interventions. Health and social policies need to ensure resources and skills to these treatments.