A feasibility study on violence prevention in outpatients with schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia have an increased risk of violent behavior, and occupy a large percentage of forensic beds. Most patients in forensic psychiatry have already undergone general psychiatric therapy. This predestinates general psychiatrists to identify those patients presenting such a risk, and to try to intervene so that violence can be prevented. Feasibility study of violence prevention using cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions in male patients with schizophrenia on a general psychiatric ward. Of our patients admitted with schizophrenia, 39.1% had committed violent acts against others; the severity of the act was usually low. The percentage of non-participants was high (83.1%). Study subjects were younger, had not been ill for as long, and were less apt to drop out of the ongoing general psychiatric treatment than the non-participants. Study subjects and non-participants did not differ in the violent act's severity. Our therapy manual proved to be sensible and practical. Those of us attempting to prevent schizophrenic patients from committing violence must deal with individuals who are generally hard to reach. We succeeded in achieving a low drop-out rate after having recruited patients who had displayed a substantial propensity to violence against others.