Forensic psychiatry: profiles of two types of sex offenders

The authors examined records of 239 individuals charged with sexual offenses and referred by the courts to a forensic service. Defendants charged with rape were typically under 30 with histories of antisocial behavior that included other types of violence. Major mental illness was rare in this group. Child molesters in the sample were of no particular age, usually had no history of violence behavior, and had a low incidence of psychosis. The most common secondary diagnosis in both groups was alcohol or drug abuse.