Abstract
SAN DIEGO—Dangerous or not? Until recently, assessment of whether a person with severe mental illness was likely to commit acts of violence relied solely on clinical impressions and experience. Structured violence risk assessment tools, developed in the past 15 years, may help clinicians increase the accuracy of their judgment by quantifying the probability of violence, according to talks at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) here in May. These tools, which range from paper-and-pencil questionnaires to software programs, compare an individual’s characteristics to known predictors of violence. Scores show where that individual falls on a continuum of risk for committing future violence, said Paul Appelbaum, MD, who directs the division of psychiatry, law, and ethics at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY. The tools may aid courts and parole boards in their decisions, said Appelbaum, a former APA president. They also may help guide treatment in clinical practice.
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