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Psychopathology and violent behaviour in psychiatric intensive care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Clive E. Hyde
Affiliation:
University Hospital of South Manchester, West Didsbury, Manchester M20 8LR
G. Waller
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham
E. Wyn-Pugh
Affiliation:
North Manchester General Hospital, Manchester M8 6RL
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This study considered the use of staff observation and patient's self-ratings of subjective psychopathology on admission to a psychiatric intensive care unit. The aim was to evaluate these measures as a means of predicting subsequent assaults and self-injury during the patients' stay on the ward. Few studies have shown a relationship between subjective experience and observable violent behaviour although some have found a correlation with ‘violence potential’. Eichelman & Hartwig (1990) have suggested the use of the SCL-90 hostility subscale, although doubts have been expressed about the ability of psychotic patients to complete such questionnaires reliably. The usefulness of both patients' self-ratings and staff observation would lie in their ability to help staff predict violence and self-injury and to take appropriate action.

Type
Original articles
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1992

References

Eichelman, B. & Hartwig, A. (1990) The Carolina nosology of destructive behaviour. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 2, 288296.Google Scholar
Rajotte, P., Jilek, W., Jilek, L. et al (1967) Antiepileptic and psychotropic properties of carbemazepine. Union Medical Canada, 96, 12001206.Google Scholar
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