title: Characteristics of violent behavior in a large state psychiatric hospital.
abstract: Violent behavior is a significant problem in psychiatric hospitals. The authors reviewed hospital incident reports to identify the characteristics of violent behavior in a large state psychiatric hospital. They found that a very small percentage of patients accounted for a majority of violent episodes, that rates of violent behavior varied among hospital units, that assaultive behavior was more common than self-harm in the long-term units, and that most commonly the assault victims were other patients. The data support earlier studies demonstrating that a small number of patients are responsible for a majority of violent episodes in a hospital setting.
authors.affiliation: Dorothea Dix State Psychiatric Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. jkraus@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kraus
authors.forename: Brian B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Sheitman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D009657:North Carolina; D012308:Risk Management / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*