University of Phoenix. CJA 314 Biological Criminal Behavior. Biological Criminal Behavior
When thinking of mental illness, psychosis and hallucinations
... [Show More] may come to mind. Mental
illness may drive a certain individual to commit a crime such as murder or violently attack
another individual. Examples of Psychotic disorders include delusions or hallucinations. False
perceptions or seeing something that is not really there is considered to be a hallucination.
Delusions are when false beliefs about how a situations occurred or who someone may appear to
be (MedlinePLus, 2013). There are different psychotic disorders that may be categorized by a
person’s ability to effectively communicate, show emotional response such as remorse, regret, or
sympathy, ability to act rationally and think clearly. It is believed that one, who suffers from
mental illness, feels the need to punish him or herself for being inadequate or unworthy of
something such as a title of mother, father, or friend. It was reported that in 2001 a woman in
Texas drowned her five children killing them one by one. Andrea Yates suffered from a case of
mental illness. It is believed that certain mental illness disorders are genetic and can be passed on
from a parent to the child; this could help reveal as to what drove her to murder her children or
shed some light as to why she did it. (Whiteman, 2013). One factor that should be considered is
postpartum depression that one may experience after giving birth to a child. Postpartum
depression has been a result in the past of horrific actions involving young children. While some
may consider postpartum depression a cause, others may believe a history of family mental
illness to be the cause of the brutal actions of the mother, and others may look at Yates as a
psychopath who did it just to do it without reason.
According to Schmalleger, “An individual who has a personality disorder, especially one
manifested in aggressively antisocial behavior, and who is lacking in empathy” is considered a
psychopath/ sociopath, which can be used interchangeably. When you are using the term [Show Less]