Review article Relationship between sexual offences and mental and developmental disorders: a review Relação entre crimes sexuais e transtornos mentais e do desenvolvimento: uma revisão ALEXANDRE MARTINS VALENÇA 1,2 , ISABELLA NASCIMENTO 2 , ANTONIO EGIDIO NARDI 2 1 Centre of Medical Science, Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Federal University Fluminense of Niterói (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. 2 Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB-UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Received: 9/20/2012 – Accepted: 12/20/2012 Abstract Background: Sexual violence is a serious public health problem that concerns and faces our society. he prevalence, magnitude and consequences of this problem have merited growing attention by health researchers and human rights scholars. Objective: To conduct a review of the literature regarding the relationship between mental disorders, sexual ofences and those of development. Methods: A bibliographic research was performed in PubMed, Scientiic Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and Lilacs, employing the terms “sexual crime”, “sexual ofence”, “mental disorder”, “mental retardation”, “developmental disability” and its combinations. Results: he mental disorders and developmental disorders more frequently related to the perpetration of sexual ofences were schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and mental retardation. Discussion: he detection and treatment of psychiatric morbidity among sexual ofenders in health and criminal justice systems, which may contribute to a lower risk of recidivism of this sexual behaviour, is important. Valença AM, et al. / Rev Psiq Clín. 2013;40(3):97-104 Keywords: Sexual crime, sexual ofence, mental disorder, mental retardation, developmental disability. Resumo Contexto: A violência sexual é um grave problema de saúde pública que preocupa e confronta nossa sociedade. A prevalência, a magnitude e as consequências desse problema têm merecido atenção crescente por parte de estudiosos e pesquisadores da saúde e dos direitos humanos. Objetivo: Realizar uma revisão bibliográica sobre a relação entre crimes sexuais e transtornos mentais e do desenvolvimento. Métodos: Foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográica nas bases de dados do PubMed, Scientiic Eletronic Library Online (SciELO) e Lilacs, utilizando os descritores “sexual crime”, “sexual ofense”, “mental disorder”, “mental retardation”, “developmental disability” e suas combinações. Resultados: Os transtornos mentais e do desenvolvimento mais frequentemente relacionados à perpetração de crimes sexuais foram esquizofrenia, transtorno bipolar e retardo mental. Conclusão: São importantes a detecção e o tratamento da morbidade psiquiátrica entre ofensores sexuais nos sistemas de saúde e de justiça criminal, o que pode contribuir para menor risco de reincidência desse comportamento sexual. Valença AM, et al. / Rev Psiq Clín. 2013;40(3):97-104 Palavras-chave: Crime sexual, ofensa sexual, transtorno mental, retardo mental, transtorno do desenvolvimento. Address correspondence to: Alexandre Martins Valença. Rua Conde de Bonim, 232, sala 511, Tijuca – 20520-054 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. E-mail: avalen@uol.com.br Introduction Sexual ofence is a serious problem which our society has to face continually, including a behaviour in which there may or may not be physical contact, involving victims of both sexes and of all ages and being considered a violent type of behaviour. Sexual violence is characterised when there is an efective sexual contact, a threat or an attempt, with no consent by the other person, or the other person is not able to give their consent 1 . In fact, sexual ofences are all those deined as such by the current law in a certain country or culture. In reality, it is not a medical or psychological construct; it is solely a social legal construct, with variable conceptual possibilities over the length of history and the geographical location. Sexual violence is a serious problem of public health to be faced by our society. In the State of São Paulo, approximately 4% of impri- soned men are serving sentence due to sexual ofences 2 . It is estimated that the police records correspond to around 10% or 20% of the real number of cases that occur. he situation of sub-notiication being attributed as a possible cause for the absence of data 3 . he decision of the victim in not registering the ofence, the absence of physical traumas in the expert examinations, the fact that the aggressor is a close relative of the victim or the victim being a minor or having a mental disorder or serious mental illness, the fear of the reaction of the aggressor and of sufering embarrassment and humiliation, apart from incomplete expert registers, may also contribute to the lack of data. here are estimates that between 10% and 16% of men and bet- ween 20% and 27% of women have been victims of sexual abuse in their childhood 4 . he British Crime Survey, for example, made an estimate that one in every ten women had already been sexually vic- timized by the age of 16, and that less than one in every ive incidents of sexual victimization in women resulted in police investigation (Siegel, 2000, apud Baltieri and Andrade 5 ). Rape and attempted rape are the two most common violent sexual ofences. his violence is also evident in state institutional settings that contain children or vulnerable adults, such as prisons, juvenile detention centres and forensic mental health hospitals. Some of the review studies have shown that many sexual aggressors can show psychiatric problems, such as, psychosis, mood disorder and mental retardation 6 . We will call attention to these aspects during the length of the presentation of the scientiic literature review studies both on a national and international level. he general objective of this study is to undertake a bibliographi- cal review regarding the relationship between sexual ofences, mental disorders and mental retardation. he speciic objectives have been