July 6 juillet 8:30 – 10:00
Room NCDH–200
Chair: Peter
G.J. Greeven
, Ministry of Justice,
The Netherlands
Research suggests that the amount of low level violence is
very high among people with mental illness, at least in the US. Whether it is
greater among people who are similarly situated but not mentally ill is still
uncertain, but it is clear that this is a serious problem, both for people with
mental illness living in the community and for those with whom they
live. If we are to find ways of reducing this sort of violence, we must learn
how it comes about. The paper describes a
study of violent incidents based on intensive interviews with both
parties of the incident. Gathering reliable data on the events involved, and the
integration of the two different accounts present substantial methodological
problems which, however, are manageable if adequate resources are committed to
the task. The paper describes some solutions to these problems and discusses
future work that needs to be done.
Recent studies suggest that the causal determinants of
violent behavior in persons with mental disorder are varied and complex. The
large majority of persons with severe mental illness (SMI) do not commit violent
acts. Psychopathology plays some role in explaining violent behavior when it
does occur in this population, but other variables are perhaps equally
important. Using multivariable analysis of a large, pooled sample of individuals
with SMI (N=802), this study examined a range of potential risk factors for
violence. Three salient variables–history of violent victimization, exposure
to violence in the surrounding environment and co-occurring substance
abuse–were found to exert a cumulative effect on violence risk. Subjects with
none of these three risk factors had less that a 1% predicted probability of
violent behavior in a year–i.e. less than the rate that other studies have
reported for the general population without mental illness. However, subjects
with all three risk factors combined had a 30% predicted probability of acting
violently. These analyses support the view that violent actions by adults with
SMI may result from multiple variables with compounded effects over the
lifespan, with an important role attributable to developmental experience and
the social environment, as well as clinical status. Effective community-based
interventions to manage risk in such individuals must be comprehensive and
broadly focused, addressing multiple problems including underlying
psychopathology, addiction, trauma sequelae, and need for community support.
This research examined the effect of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the employment of individuals with mental disabilities. We surveyed a random sample of 117 employers in a large metropolitan community in the Southeast US and asked questions about their employment practices as well as their attitudes towards those with various types of mental illnesses or disabilities. Previous research has found that employers held stigmatized and ignorant attitudes toward those with mental illnesses, and were reluctant to hire these individuals. Employers were also found to hold false assumptions about job-related abilities and the costs of accommodations. Our data confirm these findings, and also demonstrate that employers continue to hold stigmatizing attitudes, and are particularly concerned with the potential dangerousness of those with mental illnesses. Employers also tended to associate mental illness with incompetence. Such attitudes reflect public misconceptions and common stereotypes and consequently limit the employment opportunities of millions of individuals.
Family violence has been present since the beginnings of humankind. This presentation offers observations regarding some of its major manifestations - neonaticide, infanticide and filicide from an historical perspective. Observations are drawn from mythological tales and early cultures, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the present. The dyadic relationship between parent-child, and especially mother-child attachment and bonding are touched upon. Nature/nurture and biological/environmental assumptions are discussed. A brief typology of murdering mothers or fathers seen in forensic psychiatric practice, supported by six case studies (1 neonaticide, 2 infanticides, and 3 filicides) is presented. Recent literature is noted and a psychodynamic formulation is proposed.
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