Who stalks? A description of patients at a high security hospital with a history of stalking behaviour

Abstract

Background: Knowledge about stalking, and in particular the people who do it, is limited in the UK.

Aim: This study aims to describe a sample of stalkers drawn from the resident population of Broadmoor high security hospital in the UK.

Methods: Case notes and research database information for 362 consecutive admissions were used to identify stalkers retrospectively. Data were extracted using a stalking behaviour screening checklist.

Results: A total of 33 patients (9.1%) were classified as stalkers. They were mostly male (28), young (median age 29), unmarried (30), minimally educated and unemployed. Most had psychosis and personality disorder. They had inflicted a wide range of unwanted intrusions and communications on their victims, and both threats (55%) and assaults (45%) were common. The types of stalkers were more or less equally split between intimacy seeking, rejected suitors, resentful and predatory, with only a tiny group being incompetent suitors.

Conclusions: Although this small group of stalkers had been intrusive and attacking, few had been referred for treatment because of the stalking. The screening questionnaire is easy to use and can be done from records. It may be that such screening should become routine in specialist secure hospitals.