How to Use Violence Risk Assessments
Several tests help those struggling with mental health issues and help determine risk factors. In some circumstances, as a result of psychological problems, an individual could become violent. This is a hazard to mental health professionals, but it could also impact the community. To help psychologists identify an individual’s risk factors or if they might be capable of harming someone else, the violence risk assessment was created.
Administering these Assessments
To perform a proper violence risk assessment, a psychologist would first compile key information about an individual’s past behavior health during psychological evaluations. Has this individual previously struggled with mental health issues, been in trouble with law enforcement, or witnessed making threats? This information is important when gauging whether this individual is capable of violence.
In addition to their history, a psychologist will examine the individual’s current state.
Warning Signs
- Anxiety
- Confusion
- Making threatening statements
- Destructive toward property
With these steps in mind, mental health professionals not only seek to protect bystanders but the patient as well. It’s important to find the best treatment course and the most beneficial one for the patient. The violence risk assessment doesn’t seek to place blame or shame on an individual. A psychologist can’t fully understand all facets of the situation. There could be mitigating factors, such as environmental effects that have shaped the current behavior health.
When to Use Violence Risk Assessments
In many situations, violence risk assessments are an effective tool. Human resource departments can utilize questioners developed by psychologists to identify warning signs for employees in the workplace. These can be part of the hiring process or the exit interview.
Also, individuals released from prison or mental health facilities undergo these assessments during psychological evaluations. New prisoners or psychiatric patients also benefit from these assessments to determine the proper accommodations. For example, someone at high risk for violence would be ill-suited for minimal security or little supervision.
These tools help in situations of domestic and family abuse. When there are threats of violence, mental health professionals must verify the other family members are not at risk.
Again, these assessments provide mental health professionals with the right information to make the most informed decisions. Violence Risk Assessments are a valuable tool in psychiatric care and a great preventative measure. If psychologists make informed adjustments to care early on, it may save the lives of those involved.
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