Managing the violent patient: A guide for psychologists and other mental health professionals

Being threatened, harassed, attacked, or confronted by a patient with a wea pon is becoming more common and is Likely to occur at some point in a menta l health professional's career. Effective violence management programs can reduce the incidence of violence. Yet, few resources have been provided to assist psychologists and other mental health professionals to deal with agg ressive patients. The authors offer strategies for the management of aggres sive behavior that can be implemented to empower practitioners to take prec autions when necessary in a quick and efficient manner when dealing with vi olent and potentially violent patients.