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Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

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the court orders the keep <strong>of</strong> patient in a special public psychiatric hospital with a view to receivepsychiatric treatment.We will try to present data that concern the arrangement <strong>of</strong> hospitalization <strong>of</strong> patients withserious mental illness that have committed certain serious criminal act and have been judged«not to be guilty by reason <strong>of</strong> insanity», by the court.Mentally Disordered Offenders in Greek Prisons: Setting up a ForensicPsychiatry Service during the Economic CrisisChristos Tsopelas, Attica Psychiatric Hospital, Athens, Greece (tsopelas@gmail.com)Athanassios Douzenis, Athens <strong>University</strong> (thandouz@med.uoa.gr)The functioning <strong>of</strong> penal system and its’ prisons is based on the principles <strong>of</strong> punishment,security and control and finally rehabilitation and prevention <strong>of</strong> re<strong>of</strong>fending. 'MentallyDisordered Offenders' have been recognized as a definite group within criminal justice systemwhile the links between crime and mental disorder although certain are complex and difficult toaccess.In Greece the law accepts that there are instances when a mental disorder may impair theindividual’s ability to differentiate between right and wrong and interfere with free will.( article34 <strong>of</strong> the Greek Penal Code). If the court accepts that this is the case, the perpetrator isconsidered not guilty <strong>of</strong> the crime. Mentally disordered <strong>of</strong>fenders should primarily be consideredas ill and therefore exempt from punishment. Mentally disordered <strong>of</strong>fenders are either admittedagainst their will, in General Hospital Psychiatric Units that operate an «open door policy» or inthe psychiatric hospital <strong>of</strong> the “Korydallos” prison complex.We have tried to build a collaboration <strong>of</strong> the Forensic Mental Health Unit <strong>of</strong> the 2 nd Dept. <strong>of</strong>Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Athens with the Ministry <strong>of</strong> Justice in orderto provide psychiatric service to mentally disordered <strong>of</strong>fenders. We are presenting the initialobstacles, difficulties <strong>of</strong> providing a stable free service in financial crisis environment, but alsopreliminary quantitative and qualitative research results.Delusional Misidentification Syndromes and CrimeAthanassios Douzenis, Athens <strong>University</strong> (thandouz@med.uoa.gr)Delusional Misidentification Syndromes (DMS) is a constellation <strong>of</strong> psychiatric syndromesincluding Capgras and Fregoli syndrome. Characteristic <strong>of</strong> these syndromes is the delusionalidea that the bodily or psychological identity <strong>of</strong> the sufferer or others changes dramatically.Individuals with DMS have caused serious bodily harm. Murders are uncommon but not rare.Some <strong>of</strong> the DMS sufferers misidentify themselves and believe that they are omnipotent. When87

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