Improving the mental health of victims of violence: new guidance from the Royal College of Psychiatrists

shutterstock_62054776

The mental health needs of victims of violence are going unrecognised and there is a lack of joined-up services to support their needs, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. People who are injured in or affected by physical violence, including sexual violence, are at risk of developing mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress [read the full story…]

Drug and talking treatments can reduce violent behaviour in mental health and criminal populations, but more research is needed

shutterstock_72844795

Studies show that over 1.6 million people are killed as a result of violence each year and it is thought that this estimate is considerably less than the actual number who die from assaults. Violence in inpatient hospital settings and emergency departments is the subject of a NICE guideline that is currently being updated. A [read the full story…]

Meta analysis suggests adults with disabilities are at greater risk of violence than adults without disabilities

Bullying

People with disabilities are reported to be at increased risk of violence. Mencap’s stand by me campaign  to end disability hate crime suggested that as many as 9 out of 10 people with a learning disability have been a victim of hate crime and bullying. The authors of this review and meta analysis set out [read the full story…]

Preventing and managing violence in mental health and criminal justice populations: results of a new systematic review

shutterstock_77080876 copy

The public perception of mental health and violent behaviour has often been influenced by poor media coverage and a focus on specific crimes committed by people with psychosis. There’s a nice summary of work in this area on the Mind website, which includes a number of enlightening stats, including this one: The fear of random [read the full story…]

The causes of aggression and violence in psychiatric settings: new systematic review

shutterstock_85566016_angry man violence aggression

Despite what you read in the tabloid press, the vast majority of people with mental health problems are not violent. However, when violence does occur in hospitals, it’s important that healthcare professionals know how to manage the situation. This new systematic review has been conducted by a team of Italian researchers who searched a range [read the full story…]

The experience of violence at work in community learning disability teams

Argue2

Researchers in the south east of England set out to look at the experiences of violence at work in of staff in community learning disability teams. Following a brief survey sent to six such teams, the experiences were explored further in a series of in-depth interviews with a sub-sample of respondents. The survey suggested that [read the full story…]