Youth Violence Prevention Conference Explores Risk Factors, Interventions
December 1st 2004Although a lot remains to be learned, much is already known about the early childhood characteristics that predispose children to antisocial behavior and violence in adolescence and early adulthood, an expert in psychopathology said recently at a National Institutes of Health conference.
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Preventing Violence in Schools
April 1st 2004In the wake of the Columbine school shootings, it is of utmost importance for psychiatrists to be aware of the role they can play in preventing violence and bullying in our schools. What programs have been tried and how have they fared? What are the elements for a successful program?
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Considering PTSD in the Treatment of Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
April 1st 2004The distress and functional impairment associated with PTSD may make it difficult for IPV victims to benefit from interventions to increase their safety and reduce their exposure to violence. Empirically supported PTSD treatments include pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Incorporating these treatments into interventions to improve victims' safety and reduce exposure to violence may improve their effectiveness in protecting women from IPV.
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To Understand Depression, Look to Psychobiology, Not Biopsychiatry
August 1st 2003Rather than looking at the biological basis for depression, it may be more useful to look at the patient's worldview and how that may have primed them for depression. Examining events that took place in the patient's past lead to a solution to their current depression.
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Measures To Take After Diagnosis of Violence or Danger
July 1st 2003Once the potential for violent behavior has been identified in a patient, how should it be dealt with? What steps can the clinician take to ensure the physical and legal safety of themselves and their patients? Furthermore, what are the clinician's legal and ethical responsibilities if the patient does commit a violence act?
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Assessing Violence in Patients: Legal Implications
January 1st 2003The threat that a patient may commit an act of violence challenges psychiatrists to wrestle with the legal system as they attempt to successfully build a therapeutic alliance. Patient history, solid medical care, and the duties to warn and to protect must be successfully balanced to navigate the crossroads between psychiatry and the law.
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Psychiatrists and Mandatory Reporting of Domestic Violence
April 1st 2002Mandatory reporting laws rarely require reporting by psychiatrists. Psychiatrists need to treat the patient, rather than act as mandated reporters, and be knowledgeable about the dynamics and consequences of domestic violence and about available community resources and advocates that can help the patient.
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An Early Warning Sign for Violence
September 1st 2001Bullying and being bullied put adolescents at risk for developing violent behaviors. Depression and anxiety are two of the underlying issues related to this type of behavior. Recognizing the warning signs may help mental health care professionals prevent violence in the adolescent's life.
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National and State Responses to Domestic Violence Challenge
April 1st 2001After a significant delay, the U.S. Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 to provide support and services to victims of domestic violence. Meanwhile, the findings in the Family Violence Prevention Fund's State by State Report Card on Health Care Laws and Domestic Violence shows state legislation has proved disappointing. Which states do the most in assisting physicians and other health care providers to aid victims of domestic violence?
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Seasonal Variation of Violence
April 1st 2001The author examines how temperature and length of day can affect mood and behavior, both in a general population and a group of inpatients. In both groups, there were two peaks of violent behavior, one in May-June and one in October-November, which correspond with the equinoxes. Is it possible to track violent behavior in various geographical areas depending upon weather and length of day?
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A New Screening Measure for Detecting 'Hidden' Domestic Violence
November 1st 1998Only in recent years has the widening scope of domestic violence achieved such national prominence. Highly publicized cases like the Nicole Brown Simpson murder have brought the issue of domestic violence to worldwide attention. Overall rates of violence against women, including both lethal and nonlethal violence, are much higher.
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Violence and Survival: Denial and the Ultimate Threat
June 1st 1997Although recent news portrays general violence as on the decline, the Centers for Disease Control still rank health care providers only one notch below convenience store clerks and taxi drivers at risk for homicide. Mental health personnel are exposed to these ultimate threats in emergency rooms, on home visits, walking through lonely hospital corridors or hotel corridors during conventions, as well as on the street and at home.
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