Stalking--a contemporary challenge for forensic and clinical psychiatry.
BACKGROUND
Stalking is causing pervasive and intense personal suffering and is an area of psychiatry that is currently overlooked.


OBJECTIVE
To review demographic and clinical characteristics of stalkers as well as the psychological consequences for victims of stalking.


METHODS
A Medline and PsycLit search was conducted on stalking, forensic psychiatry, personality disorders, de Clérambault syndrome and erotomania, with respect to the relevance of the articles selected for stalking.


RESULTS
Stalkers are best thought of as a heterogeneous group whose behaviour can be motivated by different forms of psychopathology, including psychosis and severe personality disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a clear need to arrive at a consensus on a typology of stalkers and associated diagnostic criteria. The effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments have not yet been investigated. Treatment may need to be supplemented with external incentives provided by the legal system.
Kamphuis
J H
JH
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. kp.kamphuis@macmail.psy.uva.nl
Emmelkamp
P M
PM
D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology