Objective: To determine psychiatric diagnoses and socio-demographic features of children and adolescents referred to a child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient unit due to their alleged offences. Method: Data from chart records of 72 children and adolescents referred to Mersin University, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry between 2013 January and December due to their alleged offences were retrospectively examined. Results: Within all cases, 22.2% (n=16) were reported to have had full ability to perceive the legal meaning and consequences of their alleged offence and to direct his/her behaviors related to the offence. According to DSM-IV criteria, 46 of the cases (63.8%) were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder at the time of their psychiatric assessment. Most common diagnosis was attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (54.2%, n=39). Discussion: The results of this study reveal that conditions such as conduct disorder, anxiety disorder and intellectual disability might affect the child’s ability to perceive legal meaning and consequences of his actions and to direct his/her behaviors related with these actions. Thus, forensic process should not focus solely on the question of whether the child’s ability to perceive the legal meaning and consequences of his/her actions and to direct his/her behaviors related to these actions has been developed or not. In addition to that, for the highest benefit of the child, converting the process into a type of health precaution practice might be considered for prevention of repetitive delinquency as well as conducting an assessment if the child meets any criteria for a psychiatric disorder or not.

Amaç: Iddia edilen suçlar nedeniyle çocuk ve ergen psikiyatrisine basvuru yapan olgularin psikiyatrik tanilarini ve sosyodemografik özelliklerini belirlemektir. Yöntem: Mersin Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi Çocuk ve Ergen Ruh Sagligi ve Hastaliklari Anabilim Dali’na 2013 Ocak ve Aralik aylari arasinda suç isledikleri iddiasiyla basvuran 72 çocuk ve ergenin dosya verileri geriye dönük olarak incelenmistir. Bulgular: Tüm olgular içinden%22.2’si (n=16) “suçun hukukî anlam ve sonuçlarini algilama ve bu fiille ilgili olarak davranislarini yönlendirme yetenegi gelismistir” seklinde rapor edilmistir. DSM-IV ölçütlerine göre, olgularin %63.8’inde (n=46) psikiyatrik görüsme esnasinda bir psikiyatrik bozukluk saptanmistir. En çok koyulan tani (%54.2, n=39) dikkat eksikligi ve hiperaktivite bozuklugudur. Tartisma: Bu çalismada, çocuk ve ergenin “suçun hukukî anlam ve sonuçlarini algilama ve bu fiille ilgili olarak davranislarini yönlendirme yeteneginin gelisip gelismedigine” davranim bozuklugu, anksiyete bozuklugu ve zihinsel yetersizligin etki edebilecegi ortaya konmustur. Bu nedenle adli süreç sadece “suçun hukukî anlam ve sonuçlarini algilama ve bu fiille ilgili olarak davranislarini yönlendirme yetenegi” üzerine odaklanmamalidir. Buna ek olarak eslik eden bir psikiyatrik bozukluk olup olmadigi tespit edilmeye çalisilabilir ve çocugun yüksek yarari düsünülerek tekrarlayan suçlari önlemek için saglik tedbiri alinmasi düsünülebilir.