Aggressive behaviour among mentally handicapped females in a closed villa

A study of violent behaviour by residents in a mental handicap centre

Objective: The authors were aware of a high level of aggression in their centre and felt that a systematic review of incidents of aggression could be of benefit to both staff and residents. Method: A retrospective review of all incidents over a one year period was performed. Data involving the resident and the incident itself were analysed. An ICD 9 psychiatric diagnosis was attributed to each resident where possible. Results: The results show a large number of incidents, mostly of a minor nature. In almost half the incidents the nurse was the victim. There was a lower number of incidents in January and February. Forty one of the 45 residents involved in incidents had a psychiatric diagnosis. Conclusion: There is a general trend for moving from residential settings to the community. Our results suggest that as time goes on our centre will contain more residents with a psychiatric diagnosis who have a potential for aggression. We suggest ways of coping with this aggression and produce an incident form for recording aggressive incidents.

Violence and Schizophrenia — a study of the occurrence and clinical correlates of violence among schizophrenic patients

The relationship between mental illness and violent behaviour, particularly in schizophrenia, is an important issue both for health care professionals and the general public. Estimates of the prevalence of violence among schizophrenic patients vary according to patient selection, patient setting, and the definition of violence employed. This study investigated the occurrence and characteristics of violence and its clinical correlates among 698 schizophrenic patients who had been treated in an Irish general psychiatric hospital. Violent behaviour occurred in 16% of patients. The vast majority of acts were of a minor nature and serious physical assault was noted in only 1% of cases. Our findings are discussed with reference to the available literature.