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Assessing and managing threats to commit a massacre.

Paul E Mullen1,2, Michele Pathé2,3,4

  • 11 Monash University and Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
|May 12, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Psychiatrists should take massacre threats seriously, as they often signal distress and may indicate a commitment to act. Assessing motivation and commitment helps manage potential risks from individuals making such threats.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Criminology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Lone actor attacks, while rare, are increasing.
  • Psychiatrists rarely encounter perpetrators before or after attacks.
  • Patients threatening massacres present a unique clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the assessment of threats to commit massacres.
  • To differentiate between threats with and without commitment to act.
  • To discuss the management of individuals who threaten mass killings.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluating threats based on motivation and apparent commitment.
  • Analyzing the clinical differences between those who threaten and actual lone actor attackers.
  • Assessing risk based on preoccupation, plausibility, planning, and preparation.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Most threats are expressions of distress without intent to act.
  • A subset of threats indicates some level of commitment and potential risk.
  • Clinical differences exist between those who threaten and those who perpetrate attacks.

Conclusions:

  • Threat assessment requires careful consideration of motivation and commitment.
  • Distinguishing between genuine threats and expressions of distress is crucial for risk management.
  • Effective management strategies are needed for individuals presenting a potential threat of mass violence.