NCJ Number
168565
Date Published
1997
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Fourteen white men convicted of homicide or attempted homicide were assessed to determine whether they met criteria for Limbic Psychotic Trigger Reaction (LPTR) as an explanation for their homicidal behavior.
Abstract
The 14 men were given a psychiatric examination within maximum-security settings. None had a prior history of severe violence. All were physically healthy; their laboratory findings and routine neurological examinations were within normal limits. Their ages ranged from 18 years to 40 years (mean age 24 years). All were social loners. Their socioeconomic backgrounds ranged from lower to upper levels. Their prior mental status covered the entire range from pre-existing schizophrenia to no prior mental health problems. In all 14 cases a specific pattern of 16 interrelated criteria was consistently found. The symptomatology could not be reasonably explained or categorized by any of the traditional diagnoses. The criteria conformed exclusively to the recently proposed pattern of LPTR. This article discusses the sequence of events linked with LPTR phases of partial seizures, the heuristic implications of memory revival, limbic system factors, and neuro-evolutionary factors in homicide. Also addressed are counter-intuitive aspects of LPTR for evaluators' consideration, forensic aspects of LPTR, and preventive or remedial aspects. 3 tables, 63 references, and an appended case illustration