Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Cartwright, R. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Cartwright, R. Mentally Ill Offenders Other Forensic Issues Sleep Disorders Homicide

Sleepwalking Violence: A Sleep Disorder, a Legal Dilemma, and a Psychological Challenge

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to further an understanding of the psychological state when aggression follows an episode of partial arousal from early non-REM sleep during which some areas of the brain appear to be functioning as in waking while others appear to remain in a state of sleep. To illustrate this, the author examines a case of homicide for which the defense argued lack of responsibility due to sleepwalking. METHOD: A review of the forensic literature on sleepwalking aggression and sleep studies suggests that these fall into one or both of two DSM-IV-TR diagnoses: sleepwalking disorder and sleep terror disorder. The new case, which would meet criteria for an overlap disorder in which sleepwalking is followed by sleep terror, is compared to one previously published. RESULTS: These findings support sleepwalking violence as a distinct overlap disorder with common disturbed psychological functioning during and for a period up to 1 hour following an aggressive episode. CONCLUSIONS: Research clarifies the pathology of this disorder and highlights the need to both refine the differential diagnosis and test the efficacy of treatment protocols.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Pilon, J. Montplaisir, and A. Zadra Precipitating factors of somnambulism: Impact of sleep deprivation and forced arousals Neurology, June 10, 2008; 70(24): 2284 - 2290. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Bourget and L. Whitehurst Amnesia and Crime J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, December 1, 2007; 35(4): 469 - 480. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Reviews of Note Journal Watch Psychiatry, August 4, 2004; 2004(804): 6 - 6. [Full Text]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2004 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us