Editorial: Violence and psychiatric patients: A view from the community

Recent attention to violence in community settings comes in the wake of a British government report by J. H. Ritchie, D. Dick, & R. Lingham (1994) & another government report, Confidentiality Enquiry into Homicides and Suicides by Mentally Ill People (1994). To date, however, most of the research on aggressive acts committed by people with mental illness has been conducted in inpatient settings. The extent to which this kind of research can assist those concerned about the management of violence in community settings is assessed. In addition, the extent of knowledge about the management of violence in the community by patients with mental illness is reviewed. Finally, the potential for prevention of violence in the community by people with mental illness is discussed. 1 Table, 41 References. M. Maguire