Book Section: Essay and Review: Patient Violence and the Clinician

Abstract

Numerous books have been published in recent years on the popular topic of violence by psychiatric patients. Unlike most of these, rushed to press without adequate editorial scrutiny, Patient Violence and the Clinician was thoughtfully conceived and packaged in a reader-friendly way. Eleven concise chapters examine the major topics that readers should be exposed to in order to master the basics of managing patient violence. Most chapters are well organized, provide empirical data, and present practical suggestions. The editors and the authors of the various chapters are all prominent scholars in the area of patient violence. Burr Eichelman, a professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, Temple University School of Medicine, has written on the pharmacological treatment of patient violence. Anne Hartwig is affiliated with the Institute of Law and Health Sciences, Temple School of Law, and Temple University School of Medicine.