The dangerous psychiatric patient. Part I: Epidemiology, etiology, prediction

Physicians from various medical specialties have the opportunity to encounter once in a while a dangerous psychiatric patient, an encounter which in many cases generates confusion and embarrassment. An attempt is made to identify the typical characteristics of such a patient and to give some practical guidance to the physician "in the field'. A number of examples of the management of dangerous or even violent patients is presented. The objective of this contribution is to increase awareness of this issue, even among non-psychiatric medical personnel. Part I deals with epidemiology, etiology and prediction of dangerousness.