The results of a literature review between 1970 and 2010 suggest that factors such as certain sociodemographic characteristics, young age, alcoholism, substance abuse, non-compliance with treatment, fulfilment of the criteria for antisocial personality disorder and paranoid subtype, history of suicidal ideation and attempts, and history of frequent hospitalization increase the potential for violent episodes in schizophrenic patients.

The literature outlining the development and classification of personality disorder is reviewed in order to examine the history of this condition in the context of contemporary post-colonial Jamaican society.