Читать книгу PROtect Yourself! Empowering Tips & Techniques for Personal Safety: A Practical Violence Prevention Manual for Healthcare Workers - Rae Stonehouse - Страница 20

Statistically, it has been proven that the mentally ill are no more violent than the general population. With the implementation of the Mental Health Initiative (deinstitutionalizing of mentally ill people), the community is encountering mentally ill individuals who were previously cared for in institutions. Without adequate resources such as supportive housing, community dropin centres, and outreach workers, mentally ill individuals tend to become more visible. They are often thrust into crisis because their basic needs are not being met.

Criteria: Acute Anxiety (panic disorders)

Assess for:

•nonverbal behavior, examples: pacing, wringing hands, picking at something, darting eyes, quick erratic movements, or withdrawal

•verbal behavior, examples: talking loudly, quickly or in a demanding voice

•a change in usual behavior

Criteria: Psychiatric Problems

Assess for:

•acute psychiatric illness

•psychotic patients with disrupted thought patterns, poor impulse control

•suffering from delusions and/or hallucinations

•suspiciousness (paranoid, not trusting)

•dual diagnosis (mental illness & chemical dependency)

Criteria: Personality Traits

Assess for:

•personality disorders (paranoid, borderline, antisocial)

•acting out for attention

Comment:

Mental illness does not generally appear to be related to violence in the absence of a history of violent behaviour.

“However, the belief that mental disorder bears some moderate association with violent behavour is both historically invariant and culturally universal.” (Monahan 1992. (10).)

Physical Diagnosis:

Criteria: Seizures or post seizure states (may cause disorientation and confusion)

Comment:

Many people come out of a seizure, angry, confused or fighting. They may not understand a command or recognize a familiar face and may uncharacteristically push someone away that they otherwise recognize.

Criteria: Metabolic abnormalities, drug toxicity, and acute neurologic impairment

Comment: All may trigger agitated or combative conduct.