Citation

Warburton K. CNS Spectr. 2014; 19(5): 368-373.

Affiliation

California Department of State Hospitals,Sacramento,CA 95814,USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, MBL Communications)

DOI

10.1017/S109285291400025X

PMID

25032946

Abstract

The association between violence and mental illness is well-studied, yet remains highly controversial. Currently, there appears to be a trend of increasing violence in state hospital settings, including both civilly and forensically committed populations. In fact, physical aggression is the primary reason for admission to many state hospitals. Given that violence is now often both a reason for admission and a barrier to discharge, there is a case to be made for psychiatric violence to be re-conceptualized dimensionally, as a primary syndrome, not as the byproduct of one. Furthermore, treatment settings need to be enhanced to address the new types of violence exhibited in inpatient environments, and this modification needs to be geared toward balancing safety with treatment.

Language: en