The condition when pathogenic is termed hyperactivity , although hypoinhibition may come closer to describing it in many cases. It is known that children, especially boys, diagnosed as hyperactive are at increased risk of coming before the courts in later life. On the other hand, some youngsters studied by the charity Natural Justice in Cumbria appear to suffer from a more or less mild depressive state, and commit crimes, sniff glue, or steal motor vehicles in an attempt to offset the depression by excitement. Where such depression results from biochemical imbalance, correction of this by dietary means can at least in some cases remove that undue craving for excitement which if not diverted into safe channels can lead to criminal behaviour. It follows from the foregoing brief and very simplified account that behavioural responses result from a, inputs to the brain from the external world received via the senses, and b, the ways in which these inputs are processed in the brain.
Social influences are of type a, whereas factors of type b such as diet are non-social in nature.
In other words, it has been believed that only social factors of type a need to be considered. Alcohol is sometimes regarded as a social factor, but although the effects can be social, the central cause is the disturbance of brain biochemistry resulting from the chemical action of the neurotoxin alcohol. Of course, social influences from peers, advertisements, etc. may play a part in encouraging the consumption of alcohol, as do the pleasant taste and initially relaxing effects of alcoholic beverages. One can regularly read of alcohol-related crime in daily newspapers. Smoking may cause cancer, but alcohol can make you a criminal.