NCJ Number
220437
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2007 Pages: 1202-1204
Date Published
September 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
In describing a patient with Huntington's Disease (HD) who allegedly stalked her therapist, this case report focuses on whether there were indications of a link between the stalking behavior and the features of HD.
Abstract
HD is a neurological disease characterized by caudate atrophy, chorea, and cognitive impairment. Multiple neuropsychiatric symptoms have been reported in association with HD, including depression, obsessions, psychosis, and mania. For the purposes of this case analysis, stalking is defined as "the willful, malicious, and repeated following or harassing of another person that threatens his or her safety." A lesion of the caudate nucleus could account for some of the symptoms associated with the patient's stalking behavior; however, because this is a single case, it is possible that the link between HD and the stalking behavior was coincidental. This hypothesis should be investigated further. It would be helpful to observe whether functional neuroimaging studies of stalkers reveal differential activation of basal ganglia structures in response to viewing photographs of their victims. Another approach would be to determine whether there is an epidemiological link between basal ganglia disease and stalking behavior by screening patients with known basal ganglia disease for a history of stalking or difficulties in terminating relationships. 24 references