A prospective study of violence by psychiatric patients after hospital discharge. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • OBJECTIVE: The study assessed the frequency of violence by patients two weeks after discharge from a psychiatric hospital and identified characteristics of patients with an increased risk of violence after discharge. METHODS: A structured form was used to interview patients aged 18 to 59 years in a private university psychiatric hospital. Patients provided self-reports of past violence, and violence while in the hospital was assessed by routine nurse ratings. Patients were telephoned two weeks after discharge to assess violence since discharge. RESULTS: Sixteen of 430 patients who were interviewed by telephone two weeks after discharge reported violence against persons since their discharge. Patients who were violent in the month before admission were nine times more likely to be violent in the two weeks after discharge, compared with patients who were not violent just before admission. Patients with a personality disorder were four times more likely than patients without a personality disorder to be violent after discharge. The targets of violence were often family members or other intimates and often the same persons attacked before hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who were violent just before admission were more likely to be violent after discharge and to attack the same persons they had attacked in the past. Clinicians should routinely evaluate past violence and work with the patient and potential targets of violence to prevent future violence.

publication date

  • May 1, 1997

Research

keywords

  • Mental Disorders
  • Violence

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0030930518

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1176/ps.48.5.678

PubMed ID

  • 9144823

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 48

issue

  • 5