The clinician's role in assessing workplace violence

Workplace violence can be an area of consultation for psychiatrists. However, the clinician must understand not only the limits of violence prediction, but also the corporate culture in which he or she will become involved. Evaluation of threats may involve review of written notes or taped recordings; the employee may or may not be seen. Corporate consultations sometime involve a split allegiance on the part of the clinician who must both advise the company and render a decision about the employee. The dynamics of violence within the workplace are discussed.