Hetero-aggressive outbursts in patients' behaviour in emergency psychiatry

Hetero-aggressive behaviour in patients with mental disorders is frequent and requires special skills of doctors and other medical staff in order to urgently protect the patient and indicate hospitalization.

The objective of this paper was to examine the frequency of the most common diagnostic categories in psychiatric patients with hetero-aggressive behaviour. The secondary objective was to examine aspects of realized hospitalization (voluntary, involuntary) and socio-demographic characteristics of these patients.

The sample was formed of 100 patients who expressed hetero-aggressive behaviour just before and during admission for hospital treatment. The data was collected from auto-anamnesis and hetero-anamnesis, and they were based on general somatic, neurological and psychiatric examination. The statistical analysis used descriptive analysis and Pearson's chi2-test.

The frequency of the most common diagnostic categories was: F20-F29 73%; F10-F19 19%; F60-F69 11%; F00-F09 8%; F30-F39 and F70-F79 6%. Involuntary hospitalization was implemented in 56%. Socio-demographic characteristics of examinees revealed that the most common were: male gender (63%) and younger age, dominant secondary school qualification (74%), unmarried (76%), unemployed (76%), frequently repeated hospitalizations (66%).

The most common diagnostic categories to which the patients with hetero-aggressive behavioural outbursts belonged were from the schizophrenic circuit, followed by substance abuse, personality disorders, etc. Involuntary hospitalization was the most common form of hospitalization in patients with violent behaviour. Socio-demographic characteristics of examinees revealed this profile as the most common: male gender, younger age, secondary education, unmarried and unemployed, repeatedly hospitalized.