Citation

Wilson S, Farnham FR, Taylor A, Taylor R. Med. Sci. Law 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

North London Forensic Service, Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, British Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0025802419861168

PMID

31462151

Abstract

The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) manages the risk posed to public figures by fixated individuals by paying attention to their correspondence and approaches and liaising with the mental health and criminal justice agencies responsible for their management. This paper offers a narrative reflection on the clinical experience of this unusual work. The clinical population is significantly different from that seen in mainstream mental health services, with a preponderance of delusional disorders and paraphrenias. The interface with mental health and criminal justice systems around the UK and internationally also offers a unique perspective on the functioning and malfunctioning of these services, and we attempt to describe and make sense of these experiences.

Keywords Delusional disorder, mental health services, paraphrenia, threat assessment, threat management

Language: en

Keywords

Delusional disorder; mental health services; paraphrenia; threat assessment; threat management