SCHIZOPHRENIA AND VIOLENCE - ARE NEW MENTAL-HEALTH POLICIES NEEDED

The North East Thames and South East Thames Regional Health Authorities merit congratulations for conducting an inquiry into the treatment and care of a schizophrenic man, Christopher Clunis, who stabbed to death a stranger on a subway platform. Nothing in this report (North East Thames and South East Thames Regional Health Authorities, 1994) suggests that these regions of London are different from other western countries in the management and services provided to patients suffering from schizophrenia. In fact, the familiarity of this case is striking, both with respect to the characteristics and history of the patient and the response to him by the mental health and criminal justice systems. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.