Preventing homicides involving individuals with signs of mental illness.

The perpetrator committed the crime against a family member.

The peaceful days of June in the rural communes of Hung Tan and Hung My (Hung Nguyen district) were suddenly shaken by a horrific murder that tragically claimed the life of a 7-year-old child. What's even more shocking is that the suspected perpetrator is none other than the child's own mother.

Accordingly, at dawn on May 8th, while Mr. H., the driver of the North-South train, was operating the train on the railway line through Hung My commune (Hung Nguyen district), he spotted someone lying on the tracks. Immediately, Mr. H. stopped the train and went down to check, only to be surprised to see a woman holding a child running off the tracks.

By noon on May 8th, the leaders of Hung Tan commune stated that the woman who was seen carrying her child's body onto the railway tracks, as witnessed by Mr. H., resided in Hung Tan commune. After discovering the mother fleeing with her child, the villagers chased after her and apprehended her. However, upon examining the child abandoned in the bushes, it was found that the baby had already died. There were numerous bloodstains on the motorbike the woman left at the scene.

The scene where the mother embraced her child's body in Hung My commune (Hung Nguyen district). Photo: Nguyen Phan

Earlier, at 11:30 a.m. on April 13th, D. (a student at Tan Ky High School) returned home from school to Doi Cung hamlet, Ky Son commune (Tan Ky district) and found her mother, Nguyen Thi Dai (born in 1976), lying face down on the bed.deathIn a pool of blood, the child went outside and found his father, Thai Ba Tam (born in 1973), dead at the bottom of the well. There were many bloodstains around the well's edge. The child then panicked and ran to inform the villagers. Relatives of the victim said that Thai Ba Tam had previously shown signs of mental instability. Just before the tragic murder, his wife, Nguyen Thi Dai, had called relatives to express her concern about her husband's worsening mental condition and her intention to take him to the hospital for examination. However, she did not have time to do so before the tragic event occurred.

In late April and early May 2021, five serious crimes occurred in the province, resulting in multiple deaths. Notably, one of the defendants showed signs of mental instability. Therefore, the handling of these cases needs to be thorough, not hasty, and especially regarding the details related to the psychiatric evaluation of the defendants. The evaluation must be conducted carefully and in accordance with the law to avoid wrongful convictions and ensure that no criminals escape justice.Colonel Nguyen Duc Hai - Deputy Director of the Nghe An Provincial Police.

The recent high-profile crimes resulting in multiple deaths show that,mental illnessMental illness in humans is one of the causes of criminal acts. Therefore, the community and each individual need to improve their knowledge and understanding of mental health conditions, thereby taking timely preventive and intervention measures to avoid unfortunate consequences.

According to Dr. Nguyen Canh Hung, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Psychiatric Hospital, there are many different groups of mental illnesses in humans. However, two groups of mental illnesses have a high risk of leading to uncontrolled behavior, even committing crimes, murder, or suicide if afflicted. These are schizophrenia and paranoid disorders. Schizophrenia is often caused by endogenous factors, possibly genetics, or a sudden impact on the mind that affects and alters the individual's mental state. Paranoid disorders, on the other hand, are often caused by the impact of the living environment and lifestyle, or by the use of stimulants that negatively affect the nervous system.

For example, consider the murder case in Tan Ky district that resulted in the deaths of a married couple. According to media and police reports, the husband had previously shown signs of mental illness, often shouting, smashing things, and running around the garden. This is a manifestation of a type of mental disorder.schizophreniaThe wife, before the murder in which she was the victim, called her family to inform them of her intention to take her husband for treatment. If only the husband had received treatment sooner, perhaps this tragic event, which resulted in the deaths of both of them, would not have happened.

Currently, Nghe An Psychiatric Hospital is treating over 270 patients with severe mental illness, mainly schizophrenia (accounting for over 50%). However, this is only a small number compared to the approximately 10,000 people with mental illness receiving treatment at medical facilities and at home. Among them, more than 8,000 suffer from schizophrenia.

Therefore, Dr. Nguyen Canh Hung warns that it is crucial for family members to be aware of the signs of mental illness in their loved ones, so that early treatment can be provided to prevent unfortunate consequences. Typically, the symptoms of schizophrenia begin with small signs, manifesting as abnormalities in a person's daily life and activities.

For example, sleep deprivation and insomnia become increasingly frequent and severe. Patients often move around aimlessly, their daily activities decrease, and they gradually lose self-control. If they are still working, the frequency and extent of their inability to complete tasks increase. Another important sign to recognize in people with mental illness is a reluctance to interact and communicate, even with family members. In more severe cases, they may exhibit irritability, defiance, or even aggression if they receive any interaction or request from others.

One of themreasonCommon causes of mental illness include the use of addictive substances, alcohol, or endogenous diseases; or intellectual and physical underdevelopment. Another cause is nervous tension arising from life and work pressures that are not relieved promptly, leading to psychological shock and depression.

Dr. Nguyen Canh Hung emphasized that it is entirely possible for people with mental illness to engage in actions that harm or endanger their own lives as well as the lives of those around them. Therefore, when a family member shows signs of mental illness, relatives should not use psychological methods or rely on love and affection to treat or comfort them, but rather persuade or force them to seek treatment at a specialized medical facility, avoiding tragic consequences such as the many cases leading to murders in recent times.