title: Parental hostage takers.
abstract: Three men presented to a single regional secure psychiatric unit over a twelve-month period, after taking their youngest child hostage in their own homes because of a threatened separation from the family. In each case the episode had escalated because of hostility to police involvement in what for them was a typical domestic upheaval. All cases ended without injury. In each man, substance abuse, a family history of domestic violence and fears of rejection were prominent, and the recent birth of a child may have been an added precipitant. There may be a common family structure which predisposes to such situations. Psychiatric intervention was deemed appropriate, with some evidence of benefit for the two men who engaged in treatment.
authors.affiliation: Maudsley Hospital, London.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Dyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014754:Violence