Introduction
Several epidemiologic studies in North America, Europe, and Australia suggest that schizophrenia spectrum disorders are associated with an increased risk of violent offending relative to non-clinical samples [1-5]. Assaults are the most prevalent form of aggression found in people with schizophrenia, whereas the proportion of schizophrenia-related acts of homicides ranges only from 6-28% [6]. Relative to non-clinical samples however, one study demonstrated that schizophrenia is associated with a 12 fold increase in the risk of assaults [6]. The elevated risk of physical aggression is not only characteristic of people with schizophrenia who have been classified as offenders, but similar elevations have been established in non-offenders with schizophrenia [7-9]. These findings however compel some qualification--most people with schizophrenia are not violent and the risk of violence among patients receiving care is no higher than that of the rest of the population [10].