Adrienne Saxton, MD Assistant Professor Department of Psychiatry Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, Ohio
Phillip Resnick, MD Forensic Psychiatry Section Editor Current Psychiatry Professor Department of Psychiatry Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, Ohio
Stephen Noffsinger, MD Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, Ohio
Disclosures The authors report no financial relationships with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.
Use a structured approach to identify risk factors for violence. Address dynamic risk factors, including access to weapons. Carry out the duty to warn/protect if applicable. Document your decisions and actions carefully, and then discharge the patient if clinically indicated. Do not be “held hostage” by a patient’s homicidal ideation.
Related Resources
Dolan M, Doyle M. Violence risk prediction. Clinical and actuarial measures and the role of the psychopathy checklist. Br J Psychiatry. 2000;177:303-311.
Douglas KS, Hart SD, Webster CD, et al. HCR-20V3: Assessing risk of violence–user guide. Burnaby, Canada: Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute, Simon Fraser University; 2013.