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Answer discussion question 8. Respond to 3 classmates 250 words each.

Discussion #8: This week’s reading provides an overview of mental health courts in American society. After reviewing the week 8 lesson for this week; in your own words discuss at least one item you learned from each week’s lesson in the course covering weeks 1-7. Please arrange your post by weeks starting with week 1 and ending with week 7. You will notice that the re-cap in the week 8 lesson is also arranged by weeks.

Objective:

CO1: Summarize the link between mental illness and criminal behavior.

Classmate 1 Allen: I hope everyone is doing well and that their projects are coming along as planned. Here is what I have learned these past eight weeks in chronological order:

Week 1

In the first week I learned that despite historical practices that placed mentally ill offenders in institutional settings, we now have more community care-based treatment options and the mentally ill have at times been diverted from correctional facilities. Allowing disordered people to stay in public has been scrutinized because of recent shootings in the United States where mentally ill citizens have committed large acts of violence that have shocked the nation.

Excerpt from Week 1 Forum: “These current events like the Columbine shooting, the Vegas Shooting, and the Charleston Church Shooting paint the mentally in a negative light. Stone (2015) conducted research on mental health and mass killers and concluded that in the time span of 1913 to 2015, 46 men and 6 women were mentally ill. This was out of 228 murderers and made up 23%. This is a much lower number than what the media and public perceive it to be.”

Week 2

In week two I learned the types of crimes that a person with antisocial personality disorder are most likely to commit.

Excerpt from Week 2 Forum: “with aggressive behavior a person can be subject to communicating threats, affrays between other people, assaults, and arrests. Destructive behaviors can as small as vandalism or damage to personal property and on the other side of the same spectrum could be related to arson investigations that are potentially linked to the death of a person or massive property damage. Deceitful behavior could be most scene in fraud’s, thefts or property and or services, or obtaining property under false pretenses.”

Week 3

In week three I learned the diagnostic criteria of Conduct Disorder.

Excerpt from Week 3 Forum: ”A repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated, as manifested by the presence of three (or more) of the following criteria in the past 12 months, with at least one criterion present in the past six months”

Week 4

In week four I learned about the Acropolis, and the Parthenon while in Greece . In class I learned about Pedophilia and what is clinically pedophilia, and what is not. This is specifically involves the attraction to pre-pubescent and post-pubescent children.

Excerpt from Week 4 Forum: “To be diagnosed with this disorder a person must experience intense sexually arousing fantasies or urges involving sexual activity with prepubescent children, over a period of at least six months, the individual has acted on these sexual urges, or the urges have caused serious distress.”

Week 5

In week five I learned about fetishes and how they are and are not illegal depending on the place in the world and the time period at the time. For instance in America, it is illegal to have sexual intercourse with an animal but having consensual intercourse that includes a lesser degree of pain and potentially torture is not a crime.

Excerpt from Week 5 Forum: “One behavior that I wanted to highlight is Bestiality. Zoophilia is having a sexual fixation on non-human animals. Bestiality is cross-species sexual activity between a human and other animal. That all being said, having a sexual fixation on animals is not illegal. But, carrying out that fetish is a criminal act. If looking at a part of the body or other object, it depends on the circumstances in which the sexual act is carried out.”

Week 6

In week six I learned about misconceptions and myths regarding sadism and serial murders. One of the most common myths being that sex offenders are a result of childhood trauma. This lacks evidence and has not been objectively proven.

Excerpt from Week 6 Forum: “Another misconception is that these sex offenders are a result of childhood trauma. This is based on little objective evidence and actually there is no firm link showing that men who are abused as child will later on become an offender. (Fedoroff, & Moran, 1997)”

Week 7

In week seven I chose to write about pedophilia and if there can be effective treatment for the disorder. I wrote that I do believe treatment (to a degree) is possible but what I really learned are the possible ramifications treating a pedophile can have on a mental health provider.

Excerpt from Week 7 Forum: “Repique (1999) also explains the strain and difficulty treating people with pedophilia has on the provider. Health care providers who treat this mental illness often get stigmatized as people who support this sex crime, which is far from true.”

References

Fedoroff, J. P., & Moran, B. (1997). Myths and misconceptions about sex offenders. The Canadian

Journal of Human Sexuality, 6(4), 263. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/myths-misconceptions-about-sex-offenders/docview/220804813/se-2?accountid=8289

Repique, R. J. (1999). Assessment & treatment of persons with pedophilia. Journal of Psychosocial

Nursing and Mental Health Services, 37(12), 19-23. Retrieved from

https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/assess…

Stone, M. F. (2015). Mass murder, mental illness, and men. Violence and Gender, 2, 51-86.

Classmate 2 Kassy: Week 1 Perception of Mental Illness:

“The magnitude of the “criminalization” or “transinstitutionalization” of people with mental illnesses is mind-boggling. According to a 1999 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that at least 16 percent, or more than 300,000, of adult inmates in U.S. jails and prisons suffer from serious mental illnesses. By comparison, 5.4 percent of the adult American population is considered to have a “serious mental illness,” and about half of these individuals have a “severe and persistent mental illness” — that is to say, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder” (Honberg and Gruttadaro, 2005, pg. 22). This goes to show what a significant statistic is relevant with criminal behavior and mental illness.

Honberg, R., & Gruttadaro, D. (2005). Corrections Today. FLAWED MENTAL HEALTH POLICIES AND THE TRAGEDY OF CRIMINALIZATION.

Week 2 Antisocial Personality Disorder:

Antisocial Personality Disorder is known as ‘fact or fiction’ making it difficult to discern whether the person with the disorder has full responsibility for their actions. Those with Antisocial Personality tend to lean towards psychopathy. Crimes that have been committed by those affected by this disorder vary from obstruction of justice, firearms, blackmail, escape and breach, fraud, burglary, theft, and violence. (Davison and Janca, 2012, pg. 41). Based off of the study that Davison and Janca provide, it is fair to say the listed crimes are the ones most likely to be committed by someone with this personality disorder. This is not to say that other less or more serious crimes cannot be committed, because it is plausible. This is just a list of the most common types of crimes to be seen.

Davison, S., & Janca, A. (2012). Personality disorder and criminal behaviour. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 25(1), 39–45. https://doi.org/10.1097/yco.0b013e32834d18f0

Week 3 Conduct Disorder:

There are two types of conduct disorders that are commonly identified by therapists. One of them is Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Oppositional Defiant Disorder is defined as, “A pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, or vindictiveness lasting at least 6 months as evidenced by at least four symptoms…Research has shown that symptoms of negative mood and affective disregulation (angry/irritable mood)” (Matthys and Lochman, 2017, pg. 5). It is estimated that two to sixteen percent of children and teens have Oppositional Defiant Disorder, also known as ODD. In younger children, ODD is more common amongst boys, but as they get older ODD occurs fairly equal in both boys and girls. (Matthys and Lochman, 2017, pg. 24).

Matthys, W., & Lochman, J. E. (2017). Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder in childhood (Second edition.). Wiley Blackwell.

Week 4 Pedophilia:

There are treatment plans for pedophilia, but it does not have a known cure. There are treatments that teach control, and medications to suppress sexual urges. It is difficult to form a true opinion as to whether pedophilia can be treated or not. It is not something that can be compared to a physical ailment which just needs an antibiotic to get better. If a person with pedophilia disorder were to choose to acknowledge and go through treatment in a longterm environment, maybe there is hope for effective treatment. It is hard to determine if something like this is truly treatable, when most people do not understand it. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual recognized pedophilia as a mental disorder because it is something abnormal. Pedophilia is said to be something that is self-discovered and not an active choice that the individual makes. (Blanchard, Lykins, Wherrett, Kuban, Cantor, Blak, Dickey, and Klassen, 2008, pgs. 335-350).

Blanchard, R., Lykins, A. D., Wherrett, D., Kuban, M. E., Cantor, J. M., Blak, T., Dickey, R., & Klassen, P. E. (2008). Pedophilia, hebephilia, and the DSM-V. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38(3), 335–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9399-9

Week 5 Fetishes:

Fetishes in general are something that are not a criminal act, but very can lead to one due to the strong desires stemming from the fetish. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, “This category is for individuals whose sexual interests are directed primarily toward objects other than people of the opposite sex, toward sexual acts not usually associated with coitus, or toward coitus performed under bizarre circumstances as in necrophilia, pedophilia, sexual sadism, and fetishism. Even though many find their practices dis- tasteful, they remain unable to substitute normal sexual behavior for them. This diagnosis is not appropriate for individuals who perform deviant sexual acts because normal sexual objects are not available to them” (American Psychiatric Association, 2017).

American Psychiatric Association. (2017). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: Dsm-5.

Week 6 Sadism and Serial Murder:

Androgen antagonists are utilized for more severe cases of diagnosed sexual sadism. It is highly likely Albert Fish would have been prescribed androgen antagonists. However, since the most effective results for sexual sadism treatments are stemmed from the utilization of both androgen treatments in culmination to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor usage it is most likely he would be on a dosage that included both (Garcia, 2013). So there is definitely treatment available, it just is the matter of how truly effective is it as well as how many people need to receive this treatment that are not.

Garcia, F.D., Delavenne, H.G., Assumpção, A.F.A. et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep (2013) 15: 356.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-013-0356-5

Week 7 Treatment Options

It is likely through medicinal breakthroughs and the coming years that sexual sadism will continue to be treated pharmaceutically and psychotherapeutically. However some of the more common sexual sadism activities are becoming normalized and it is possible that sexual sadism will soon no longer be considered a mental illness or even deviant behavior (Berner, Berger, & Hill, 2003). Taking into consideration the normalization that is starting to occur from the term sexual sadism, it seems fair that it cannot truly be treated as opposed to just keeping symptoms at bay.

Berner, W., Berger, P., & Hill, A. (2003). Sexual sadism. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 47(4), 383-395.

Classmate 3 Natalie: WEEK 1:

Week 1 focused on the perception of mental illness. Based on this, it was evident that the societal acceptance of mental illness has grown over the years. Society is focusing on and discussing the topic of mental illness more and more, such as with the Olympian, Simone Biles, in which she excused herself from some events in the most recent Olympics. However, while it may be easier for these public figures to discuss mental illness, in the perspective of crime, it is, “complicated, there are no easy answers” (Barlow & Kauzlarich, 2009, p 1-2). Therefore, it is apparent and crucial for the judicial system to stay equipped and up to date with aiding more offenders that have some type of mental illness. the goal of the prison system is rehabilitation, this includes those with mental illness to receive treatment as stated previously.

WEEK 2:

Week 2 focused specifically on the mental disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder. From this week it resonated with me how crucial and strong a support system can be on an individual in general, but mainly with this mental disorder. Having a support system is beneficial in the treatment aspect of this disorder due to the longevity of therapy and medications. Therapy is recommended for an adolescent because it aids in the child, “learning healthier ways to interact with others” (Child Mind Institute, 2021). In addition, it aids in teaching adolescents various ways to cope with the illness so that it can help in deterring them from criminal acts when they are older.

WEEK 3:

Week 3 emphasized the disorder that a child has before reaching adulthood, if not treated, known as Conduct Disorder. This mental disorder displays how crucial it is for someone to notice symptoms or warning signs, so that Conduct Disorder can be stopped before it gets diagnosed to Antisocial Personality Disorder. Thus, if an individual is not treated as a youth and is committing crimes, it will only continue as years pass. Once this disorder has aged it becomes more difficult to notice because in prison, for example, the environment is often, “mind your own business… look tough, appear dangerous, act violent if necessary” (Rotter et al., 2002).

WEEK 4:

Week 4 focused around the concept of pedophilia. This week demonstrated the societal impact that there can be on a so-called mental disorder. While the determination and diagnosis for this disorder was difficult for the DSM to categorize, it is difficult to categorize overall. One factor of pedophilia that struck a chord with me is that it is often forgotten that women can be pedophiles too. “There were at least 2,297 reported cases of children being abused by women over a four year period from 2015 and 2019… marking a 844% in female perpetrated child sexual abuse” (Paget, 2021).

WEEK 5:

Week 5 centered its attention around the topic of fetishes and the different types, “fetishes tend to be articles of clothing… undergarments, shoes, and boots… parts of the body…” (Kafka, 2009, p 3). This week related to Week 4 in the sense that society plays a factor on whether the fetish is socially acceptable or not. In addition, it is evident that every single person has some sort of fetish, it is just whether or not the person decides to act on their urges that it then becomes a criminal act. For example, it can be socially acceptable for an individual to sell pictures of their feet online to an older individual, however, once physical touch is involved then it becomes a crime if the individuals are not of appropriate age.

WEEK 6:

Week 6 went over the topic of Sadism, relating it to Serial Murder. It is evident that not all sadistic acts end up in murder, based on the definition, which is the, “infliction of suffering for sexual gratification” (Schurman-Kauflin, 2013). For example, the movie, 50 Shades of Grey. In addition, this week made me realize how little information or research there is in regard to sadistic serial murderers. For instance, it was, “reported on 100 murderers… that 3 out of 10 subjects who committed homicide/rape received a diagnosis of sexual sadism” (Krueger, 2009, p 337). In another study it was evident that, “sexual homicide accounted for approximately 1.1% of 14,121 murders in the United States” (Krueger, 2009, p 336). therefore, it is crucial for there to be enough evidence to treat with this foreseen mental disorder.

WEEK 7:

Week 7 focused on the mental disorder of my choice, which I discussed, Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another. while this disorder can be correlated with abuse, which is common, the amount of cases reported in regard to this mental disorder is extremely rare. It can be suggested that, “about 1,000 out of the 2.5 million cases of child abuse reported annually are related to FDIA” (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). This disorder, in general, is an eye opener in terms of the fact that heinous acts can occur, however, they can be difficult to detect due to the confusion for a parent looking out for their child. It is also evident that even though there are mental disorders in the DSM, not all are treatable, the criteria is just there to aid individuals so they can be aware of symptoms and signs.

References

Barlow, H. D., & Kauzlarich, D. (2009). Explaining crime: A primer in criminological theory. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Child Mind Institute. (2021, September 07). Quick Guide to Conduct Disorder. Retrieved from https://childmind.org/guide/quick-guide-to-conduct-disorder/

Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Factitious Disorder (Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy). Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9834-factitious-disorder-imposed-on-another-fdiahttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9834-factitious-disorder-imposed-on-another-fdia

Kafka, M. (2009). The DSM Diagnostic Criteria for Fetishism. Archives of sexual behavior. 30(1) 357 62. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26861774_The_DSM_Diagnostic_Criteria_for_Fetishism

Paget, A. (2021, January 19). Number of female paedophiles nearly DOUBLES in four years. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9162391/Number-female-paedophiles-nearly-DOUBLES-four-years.html

Krueger, R. B. (2009, December 08). The DSM Diagnostic Criteria for Sexual Sadism. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/205940414/

Rotter, M., M.D., Way, B., Ph.D., Steinbacher, M., M.A., Sawyer, D., Ph.D., & Smith, H. (2002, Winter). PERSONALITY DISORDERS IN PRISON: AREN’T THEY ALL ANTISOCIAL? Retrieved from http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=11303921&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Schurman-Kauflin, D. (2013, July 15). Sadistic Killers. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/disturbed/201307/sadistic-killers