Psychologist homicide victims: The National Violent Death Reporting System and other sources

Homicide of healthcare workers has been reported but little is known about psychologists as victims of homicide. This study aimed to investigate what is known about homicide of psychologists.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) provides insights into violent deaths, including homicide. This study interrogated the NVDRS and conducted Internet searches about psychologist decedents of homicide.

Between 2003 and 2018 the NVDRS identified 12 psychologist homicides. Internet searches revealed 15 psychologist homicides. Only three (11.1%) were known to have been killed by current or former patients. Another was by a colleague's patient. Another assailant was suspected to be a patient. We summarize patterns and circumstances of deaths, address issues related to violence in healthcare, and review selected resources addressing violence prevention.

Psychologists, like other health professionals, may be victims of homicide. Such deaths have diverse contributing factors and are rarely perpetrated by patients. As concern about health professional safety mounts and the NVDRS becomes better established, it will hopefully become a more sensitive, precise, comprehensive and useful mechanism for tracking trends in violent deaths of psychologists and other health professionals and ultimately inform preventative strategies.