Characteristics of Violent Behavior in a Large State Psychiatric Hospital

• Published in: Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 183 - 185
• Main Authors: Kraus, John E, Sheitman, Brian B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychiatric Publishing 01.02.2004; American Psychiatric Association
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Hospitals, Psychiatric - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders; Mental health; North Carolina; Prevention. Health policy. Planification; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Management - statistics & numerical data; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Violence - psychology; Violence - statistics & numerical data; North Carolina; United States; North America; America; Human; Psychiatric hospital; Aggression; Characteristics; Violence; Characteristic; Mental disorder; Behavior; Social behavior disorder; Public health; Behavioral disorder
• ISSN: 1075-2730; 1557-9700
• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.55.2.183

Violent behavior is a significant problem in psychiatric hospitals. The authors reviewed hospital incident reports to identify the characteristics of violent behavior in a large state psychiatric hospital. They found that a very small percentage of patients accounted for a majority of violent episodes, that rates of violent behavior varied among hospital units, that assaultive behavior was more common than self-harm in the long-term units, and that most commonly the assault victims were other patients. The data support earlier studies demonstrating that a small number of patients are responsible for a majority of violent episodes in a hospital setting.