title: Charging a patient with assault of a nurse on a psychiatric unit.
abstract: A patient was successfully charged with assault of a nurse on a Psychiatric Unit and was placed on probation for one year. The judge found her guilty despite the location of the incident and her 20-year history of previous psychiatric treatment, including 14 hospitalizations. Following this confrontation, the patient improved markedly in her behaviour and has continued to lead a more productive life without hysterical outbursts. It is concluded that proceeding with legal charges in such a situation is justifiable and can also be therapeutic.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001955:British Columbia; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006677:Histrionic Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014754:Violence