Repetitively violent patients in psychiatric units

Violent incidents in inpatient psychiatric settings were examined among a group of repeatedly violent patients to better understand the clinical and occupational health significance of repeated violence.

Data on violent incidents were collected prospectively over seven months in five psychiatric units in Sydney, Australia. Recidivist patients--those responsible for more than 20 incidents of violence or aggression--and nonrecidivist violent patients were compared in terms of the nature of the incidents, warning signs, and staff responses to violence.

Of the 174 patients involved in violent incidents, 20 (12 percent) were recidivists. These patients accounted for 69 percent of the 752 violent incidents identified. Recidivists were significantly older than nonrecidivist patients. Compared with nonrecidivists, the men recidivists were more likely to have an organic brain syndrome, and the women recidivists were more likely to have a personality disorder. When a recidivist patient was violent, staff members' response was significantly less likely to include institutional mechanisms for dealing with violence, such as contacting occupational health and safety officers, completing injury notification forms, and notifying police. Violence occurred among recidivists despite their giving more warning signs than nonrecidivists, suggesting that recidivists' threats were not taken seriously by staff, perhaps reflecting demoralization in the face of repeated violence.

Even though this study focused only on serious incidents and defined recidivism narrowly, it found that recidivism of violence and aggression among psychiatric patients was a serious problem. The relative lack of response by staff members to the violent acts of recidivist patients is of concern.