The violent patient Flashcards
Define the following terms (2)
Emergent violence
Aggression
Emergent violence
Physically forceful, assaultive or destructive patient that are endangering themselves and others
Aggression
domineering, forceful or assaultive verbal or verbal or physical action.
List three causes of violence in a psychiatric setting.(3)
Aggressive personalities
Manic phase of bipolar disorder
Acute psychotic episodes of schizophrenia
Dementia
Mania or agitated depression
Explain the stages of violence & their associated goals of intervention (6)
Potential violence
Violence is the area of concern, such as thoughts of suicide or homicide without action.
The goal is prevention.
Imminent violence
Restless, irritable, aggressive, abusive or hostile patient threatening imminent action.
Aim of immediate management is de-escalation.
Emergent violence
A physically forceful, assaultive, destructive patient already endangering others.
Urgent goal, containment and safety.
Outline 3 stages of management of an acute attack by a violent patient. (6)
A- Assessment: Look for signs of the cause e.g head wounds or features of dementia. This should be done before, during and after containment.
B- Back up: Staff such as security are required to protect other people and property for harm.
C- Containment:
Be calm.
Take control- this will ensure the patients and staff also remain calm.
Confidently manage the staff according to the pre-arranged plan for the setting.
Contain the patient with reassurance- relocate to a smaller and quet place and instruct the patient to be seated.
Physical or pharmacological constraint
Differentiate between physical restraint and seclusion when managing a violent patient and when should they both be used in psychiatric settings (3)
Seclusion: Involves isolating a patient in a room to prevent harm.
Physical Restraint: Uses devices or hands-on techniques to limit movement.
Both are last-resort measures in psychiatric settings.
