Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142:960-963
Copyright © 1985 by American Psychiatric Association
Assaultive behavior among psychiatric outpatients
K Tardiff and HW Koenigsberg
Of 2,916 patients evaluated by psychiatric residents in the outpatient
clinics of two large private psychiatric hospitals, 3% had manifested
recent assaultive behavior toward other persons. In over half the cases the
target of assault was a family member other than a child. Patients more
likely to be assaultive were young and male and had a diagnosis of
childhood or adolescent disorder or personality disorder. The authors
compare these results with those from studies of assault among inpatients
and recommend that physicians in outpatient as well as inpatient settings
be familiar with the management of assaultive patients.
