Evaluating and Managing Violent Patients: A Comprehensive Guide for Mental Health Clinicians

Evaluating and treating patients with violent ideations and behaviors can be a daunting task, fraught with anxiety, frustration, and potential danger. Errors in judgment can lead to disastrous consequences, making it essential for mental health clinicians to accurately assess and manage violent patients.

The Textbook of Violence Assessment and Management is a pioneering effort, providing a comprehensive guide for mental health professionals on the front lines of patient care. Edited by Dr. Robert I. Simon and Dr. Kenneth Tardiff, this textbook represents a culmination of expertise, bringing together 28 practical chapters that combine evidence-based medicine with expert opinion.

Uniquely qualified to produce this comprehensive volume, the editors have assembled a distinguished roster of contributors who address the topic of patient violence in all its diversity of presentation and expression. Dr. Simon, Director of the Program in Psychiatry and Law at Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Dr. Tardiff, Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health at the Payne Whitney Clinic, The New York Hospital — Cornell Medical Center, bring their wealth of experience and knowledge to this critical topic.

Violence in Modern Society

Violence is an endemic problem in our society, and its prevalence makes it essential for mental health professionals to develop the skills necessary to assess and manage violent patients. This comprehensive textbook provides the necessary tools and knowledge for clinicians to address the complex issue of patient violence.

The Textbook of Violence Assessment and Management includes a range of features designed to instruct and support mental health clinicians, including:

• The first comprehensive textbook to take the mental health professional from evaluation and assessment to treatment and management of patients who are or may become violent.
• 28 chapters addressing the diversity of clinical settings, patient demographics, psychopathology, and treatment modalities, making this work useful as both a textbook and a reference.
• End-of-chapter “Key Points” that highlight the most important concepts and conclusions, allowing students to review and consolidate their learning and practicing professionals to locate critical information quickly.
• Clinical case examples that provide rich and nuanced perspectives on patient behavior, evaluation, and management.
• A separate chapter on evaluating patients from different cultures, a competency that becomes more crucial as patient populations become more diverse.

In today’s world, where the impact of PTSD and traumatic brain injury on veterans is increasingly evident, and campus tragedies like Virginia Tech remain a stark reminder of the importance of competent professional judgment, this textbook is both timely and necessary.

By providing mental health professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to assess and manage violent patients, the Textbook of Violence Assessment and Management aims to promote safer communities and better patient outcomes.