Head injury with subsequent, intermittent, nonschizophrenic, psychotic symptoms and violence.

A young, black, adult woman presented to an outpatient clinic for treatment with a history of intermittent, nonschizophrenic, psychotic symptoms. Blacks, because of their situational sociology, may be more predisposed to severe head injuries, and this acquired biologic factor may be, in part, responsible for the high rates of black-on-black murder. The use of beta blockers is discussed as an adjunct in the treatment of violence occurring in patients with a past history of severe head injury.