Approximately 11% of a 1-year sample of psychiatric inpatients from a
single catchment area engaged in assaultive behavior before admission to
the hospital. Among schizophrenic, alcoholic, and organic brain syndrome
patients, assaultiveness was linked to emotional turmoil, as manifested by
agitation and anger. In contrast, male patients with other diagnoses showed
assaultiveness in the absence of substantial emotional distress, and
patients with affective disorders were unlikely to exhibit assaultiveness
even when high levels of agitation and anger were reported. The findings
suggest that assessment and treatment of violent behavior in psychiatric
patients are primarily linked to the nature of the underlying
psychopathology.
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