Violence in hospitalized psychiatric patients: diurnal and seasonal patterns.
The use of four-point physical restraints on a single occasion or repeatedly in psychiatric inpatients was followed prospectively during 1993 in Beer Sheva Mental Health Center. Mood-disordered patients had significantly more restraints per patient than did schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. The monthly rates of restraints of mood-disordered and schizophrenic patients were found to be negatively correlated with the duration of the daily photoperiod, which was phase-advanced by a month. The findings suggest that seasonality (the duration of the daily photoperiod) should be taken into account in attempts to predict the potential dangerousness of psychiatric patients.
Kaplan
Z
Z
Beer Sheva Mental Health Center, Negev, Israel.
Schild
K
K
Levine
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012621:Seasons; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*