Translating Into Practice Data About Violent Women

There is a growing body of medical literature supporting the presence of unique risk factor profiles in women who are violent, of much higher violence risk, and who are psychiatric inpatients. Building on the existing literature on violence risk in women, Beck and colleagues contribute an excellent example of how skilled analysis of violence risk factors and typology of violence can translate to evidence-based strategies for management and treatment of aggression. Beck et al. postulate a possible unrecognized syndrome of cognitive impairment, chronic and severe aggression, and self-harm in a subgroup of highly aggressive women inpatients. This commentary locates new and old findings in Beck et al, in the context of some relevant prior research and highlights some challenges in clinical translation, especially in the setting of intellectual disability and personality disorder.