Violence and the Brain
Is there a biological basis for violent behavior in the brain? Recent research links "neurological impairments and psychoses" to violent behavior (1).
The "psychological effects" of brain damage and disease can cause the mind to lose touch with reality leading to criminal and violent behavior (1). As a result, free will may be deserted in an individual suffering from abnormalities and chemical imbalances in the brain (2). Consequently, legal issues arise because violent offenders with mental illnesses or brain injuries are not always to blame due to the biological nature of their diseases (2). However, violence in psychiatric and neurological patients can be prevented for the most part through medication and "social support services" (1).
A PBS video, "The Violent Mind" sparked my interest in the relationship between violence and the brain. The video presented several cases of violent assault which could be attributed to chemical imbalances in the brain (2). For example, the video illustrated the story of David Garabedian, a quiet passive man who murdered a customer of the lawn car company where David was an employee (2). David mixed lawn chemicals in their undiluted form which caused him to experience physical and mental changes in his body (2). Dr. David Bear, a physician from Vanderbuilt Medical School who looked into Davids case, claimed organophosphates in the insecticide poisoned the enzyme that clears away acetylcholine in the hypothalamus (2). Moreover, Dr. Bear stated that acetylcholine sends signals between the cells which coordinate aggression (2). This explains Davids reaction when the customer caught David urinating on her lawn (2). Before the urination episode, the action potential...
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...h violent crimes of 17 "loners" (6). She links the patterns of their crimes "with seizures, which often are preceded by auras, frequently cause irrational behavior and loss of normal bodily functions and are generally followed by a sense of disorientation" (6). According to Pontius, the seizures resulted from "limbic kindling" due to the loners lack of interpersonal relationships (6). Bottled up feelings, emotions, and memories were "triggered by people and objects" as stated by Pontius (6).
The research reviews and excerpt from the PBS video, "The Violent Mind", presented in this paper strongly support the evidence of a biological basis for violence in the brain.
Internet Sources:
http://www.crime-times.org/96d/w96dp9.htm
http://www.crime-times.org/98a/w98ap10.htm
http://www.crime-times.org/96d/w96dp6.htm
PBS video: Episode 8 "The Violent Mind"
Markowitz, F. E. (2011). Mental illness, crime, and violence: Risk, context, and social control. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 36-44.
When it comes to the topics of violence, murder, and mayhem among children, most will readily agree that children who committed these acts did so because their environmental situation inspired it. However, like me, some are convinced that biological factors are the main reasons children commit violent acts.
In 2000 an article was published in Science by Dr. Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. It showed a study conducted by Davidson on those who had previously committed violent crimes versus those who are considered for the most part, “normal.” The results showed distinct brain activity in the more violent offenders in the frontal lobe and limbic system. This leads us to conclude that those who are violent could potentiall...
Passed swallowing evaluation done after extubation O2 sat post weaning 98-95 on 2L N/C Xaralto 15mg x1 given to bridge from IV heparin
Prevention defined overweight as at or above the 95th percentile of BMI for age and "at risk
Reif , A., Rosler, M., Freitage, C., Schneider, M., Eujen, A., Kissling, C., Wenzler, D., & Jacob, C. (2007). Nature and nurture predispose to violent behavior: Serotonergic genes and adverse childhood environment. Neuropsychopharmacology, 32(11), 2375-2838.
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
Serial killers are defined to “be driven by instinct and desire to kill.” In a study done in 2000, Dr, Richard Davidson says, “people with a large amount of aggression – in particular people who have committed aggressive murders or have a social disorder – have almost no brain activity in the orbital frontal cortex or the anterior cingulated cortex while activity in the amyglade continued perfectly. The orbital frontal cortex and the anterior congulated cortex control emotional impulses while the amyglade controls reactions to fear.” Davidson concludes his research claiming that although environment can and will affect a serial killer’s thoughts, it is a killer’s genetic makeup that inevitably creates murderous thoughts.
Surely there must be something wrong with someone who is extremely violent, or hurts individuals in ways our society will not allow. There are few things more repellent to 'human nature' and morality than the concept of a serial killer. What is different about the brains of these individuals whom our society finds unforgivable and unredeemable predators? Society might find a biological reason for such atrocities more comfortable than the prospects of 'good and evil' or a mistake. This paper will catalogue and attempt to organize the current biological differences between our minds and that of a serial killer.
Metcalf, T., & Metcalf, G. (Eds.). (2008). Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders: Obesity. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Cengage Learning
Raine states: “ So, in the 1950s, little toddlers were playing outside, putting their fingers in dirt, putting their fingers in their mouths and absorbing the lead. Twenty years later, they became the next generation of violent criminal offenders because violence peaks at about 19 or 20. Then what happens is in the 1990s violence begins to come down, as it's been doing. What's partly explaining that? The reduction in lead in the environment (Raine, NPR).” This shows a biological connection to serial killer behavior. Temporal lobe or amygdala damage can show signs of psychopathy, which can lead to serial killer behavior (Kiehl, Bates, Laurens, Hare, & Liddle, 2006). Violent behavior has also been linked to deficiency in serotonin and high level of testosterone. Growing up in an unhealthy environment is also common in most serial killers. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse in a childhood home breeds serial killers. If someone grows up witnessing violence, it ingrains in their minds that violent behavior is okay. Before a serial killer commits a crime, they may be quiet, reserved, and keep to himself. In this stage, they are usually going on with their regular lifestyle. After a crime, they may taunt the media/police with notes and clues, as well as go on a killing spree. This is because some killers become obsessed with the urge to kill. Some may go as far as contacting the victim’s family. A fantasy is an elaborate
Wellman, N. S., & Friedberg, B. (2002). Causes and consequences of adult obesity: health, social and economic impacts in the United States. Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 11(s8), S705-S709.
Reif , A., Rosler, M., Freitage, C., Schneider, M., Eujen, A., Kissling, C., Wenzler, D., & Jacob, C. (2007). Nature and nurture predispose to violent behavior: Serotonergic genes and adverse childhood environment. Neuropsychopharmacology, 32(11), 2375-2838.
The regular instances of criminal activities which involves harming or killing someone else (Homicide) or killing oneself (Suicide) is a common occurrence which at many instances can be attributed to some sort of mental disorder. Not all patients having one or another form of mental disorder displays aggressiveness enough that can lead to homicide, or at the other end of spectrum is so overwhelmed with hopelessness that the patient eventually comes to end his/her life. But, there is evidences which indicate that there is increased probability of these occurrences among individuals suffering from a mental disorder.
Mental illness and mental disorders have a strong relationship with those that commit violent crimes. This has lead to psychologists looking at how psychopathology is relevant to understanding and treating those convicted of violent crime. Psychopathology, for the purpose of this essay, will be defined as our understanding and knowledge of any illness or disorder within the mind that affects an individual’s cognition and behavior (Sinnamon, 2017; Stirling & Hellewell, 2002). As such, mental disorders are considered to be a part of psychopathology because a mental disorder originates within the individual rather than it being a situation reaction that is outside the individuals physical and/or mental control (Sinnamon, 2017). Therefore,