Mental health articles

Possible antecedents are indicated when the person: focuses attention on what is causing anger and continues to dwell on this; perceives threat from others or is suspicious; reacts in an exaggerated manner to problems; shows increased physical arousal – restlessness, pacing, erratic movements; shows increased volume of speech; has a tense facial expression – fixed stare, clenched jaw, makes constant eye contact; refuses to communicate or withdraws; makes verbal threats or gestures; reports angry or violent feelings. Prior knowledge of the patient is also used in this risk assessment – have they been verbally abusive in the past, do they see staff as unhelpful, are they facing high levels of stress, have they used alcohol or drugs recently, have carers reported imminent violence, have these signs been present before any previous episodes of aggression?

Tags: aggression, anger