Dangers of psychiatry- resident stabbed

[TheTravelingShrink]

If you work in an acute mental health facility long enough, you will get assaulted. A few things that might help:
1. Never have the patient between you and the door, and position yourself so you can leave.
2. Don't be afraid to end an interview or take steps backwards if the patient escalates.
3. Especially with someone who is psychotic, cognitively impaired, or using substances, things can change at any second.
If you do get assaulted, take time off if needed and work through the trauma - it's not just a physical injury that you sustain, but there's something deeply psychologically wounding about being assaulted by a patient that you're trying to help.

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[NPDude362]

Always be on your toes and aware of your surroundings. I know of a mental house counselor who was murdered outside of her workplace. I also know of a guy who was choked to death inside an inpatient unit by a psych patient. This guy was 6'5 280lbs and someone still took him down and choked him to death.

In my ER experience I have had to use physical restraint to pull patients off of nurses and a security officer when he had his face being pounded in. Keep yourself in good physical shape and learn basic self defense tactics.

 

[mdphd123j]

😆 cool story bro

Ever hear of the surgeon who got shot by the disgruntled patients family?

https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/20/justice/boston-hospital-shooting/index.html

unfortunately yes

 

[futureapppsy2]

😆 cool story bro

Ever hear of the surgeon who got shot by the disgruntled patients family?

https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/20/justice/boston-hospital-shooting/index.html

I know a psychologist who is employed by neurosurgery practice to do pre-op evals on all patients after a disgruntled spine surgery patient threated the practice with a gun.

 

[90sportsfan]

Are you taking about the case from this thread, in which it was a neuro patient who got violent? Your dislike of psychiatry based on this seems misguided.

You can still not like us for other reasons, though.

Yup. It was actually a Neuro patient. It just happened by chance that the patient decided to snap when the Psych resident was working with him. But it goes to show that almost all specialties can be susceptible to patient assaults. IM sees tons of disgruntled and angry patents with a list of medical and social issues that could cause them to snap at any given moment.