Violent or fear-inducing behavior associated with hospital admission

Abstract

Recent studies indicate that the incidence of violent or fear-inducing behavior among the mentally ill may be higher than once thought. In this study, medical record admission notes for 1,687 psychiatric patients over a four-year period were examined for indications that the patients had engaged in violent or fear-inducing behavior just prior to hospital admission. This and other studies suggest that the frequency of violent or fear-inducing behavior associated with psychiatric admissions may have stabilized in recent years. The authors also found a significantly higher level of hospital readmissions for violent patients than for other patients. As a result, they caution against assuming that the rate of violent behavior among hospital admissions accurately reflects the prevalence of violent behavior among the general population of the mentally ill.