目的：精神鑑定中，殺害未成年子女犯之描述性研究。方法：針對臺大醫院自民國39年至民國84年45年間所鑑定之30名殺害未成年子女之殺人犯，以其鑑定記錄進行回溯性資料分析。著重於其精神科病史及診斷、精神病理表現、犯案動機、犯案過程與手法，以進一步分析諸因素間之關係。 結果：30 名個案均有可診斷之精神科疾病。其中比率最高者為精神分裂症，其次為憂鬱性精神病。重大精神病者於案發時其精神症狀均極為明顯，但均未接受治療。精神分裂症患者中直接受精神病性症狀影響者最多，但有因其它非精神病性因素殺人者。憂鬱性精神病者之殺人行為則主要為利他性，其犯行可視為其自殺行為之一部分。智能不足者之殺子則均發生於有外來壓力，超過其所能負荷之情況下。個案在犯行後有多位呈現記憶缺損者。可能造成鑑定過程中對其犯行動機判斷之困難。殺人者在犯行前一個月內大部分己為家屬認定達應住院治療之程度，但並未認為精神病之嚴重度與殺人之危險性之間有高度相關，而採取相應之預防措施。 全部受害者中只有1名生還。結論：殺子女者大部分具有重大精神疾病。其犯行之動機與其精神病理表現密切相關，幾類特殊之妄想具高度危險性。家人預見犯行發生之比率不高，顯然其危險性被低估，其犯行之高致死率，突顯出此問題之嚴重性。家屬之教育及社區精神醫療之深入或能減少其發生。

　　　　　Objective: Descriptive study of filiciders referred for forensic evaluations. Method: Retrospectively reviewing forensic examination files for the diagnoses, psychopathology, motives and criminal acts of the filiciders. Results: In the past 45 years, thirty filiciders received pretrial forensic evaluations. All had diagnosable psychiatric disorders. Major psychoses including schizophrenia and depressive psychosis constituted the majority of cases (76.6%). All psychotic patients were currently highly symptomatic but received virtually no psychiatric treatment. No family member was able to foresee the possibility that they might kill their own children. The motives of filicide among schizophrenic patients were closely related to their psychotic symptoms. The depressives killed their children as part of an extended suicide. The mentally-retarded often killed their children under stresses which were beyond their coping abilities. Only one among 36 victims survived. Some filiciders manifested a certian degree of memory deficit concerning their acts during forensic evaluations. This created a great deal of difficulty in evaluating the details of their homicides and ascertaining their motives. Conclusion: Most filiciders had severe psychopathology which was closely associated with their filicidal acts. Several tyeps of delusions seemed highly dangrerous, especially the nihilistic delusions among depressives. The filicidal acts were seldom forseen and caused high lethality. Further psychiatric education and community interventions for the families with members of major psychiatric disorders are of utmost importance.