Far venire L'ANSIA è REATO | Avv. Giuseppe Di Palo

Making someone anxious is a crime. It seems absurd, right? Yet, the Italian Penal Code protects our mental health and punishes those who put it at risk in a significant and demonstrable way. Article 582 of the Criminal Code states that "Whoever causes a personal injury to anyone, from which a disease of the body or mind derives, is punished with imprisonment from six months to three years". This rule, apparently focused on physical injuries, actually has a much broader scope. The crime of personal injuries therefore does not only protect against physical damage, but also against damage to the psychic sphere. In fact, case law has clarified that "mental disease" means any alteration, transitory or permanent, of the psychic balance of the injured person. This can include pathological states of anxiety, sleep disorders, panic attacks and other conditions that compromise the psychological well-being of the individual.