Violence Risk Factors in Psychiatric Populations
Abstract
Over the past 20 years, there has been increasing recognition that certain psychiatric diagnoses increase violence risk. This increase is nuanced, multifactorial, and variable. The risk attributable to serious mental illness accounts for only a small fraction of violent acts. There is much more impact from other risk factors, such as substance misuse. Many such factors increase risk, regardless of psychiatric diagnosis. Some factors are uniquely associated with psychiatric populations, such as a history of suicide attempts, antipsychotic medication nonadherence, and past hospitalizations. This article details recent data on violence risk factors and protective factors for psychiatric populations.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Psychopathy
Forensic Psychiatry
Sexual Offending
Crime Patterns and Interventions
Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- FOCUS The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 2–9
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN