The problem of violence and aggressive behaviour among patients with psychiatric disorders need careful assessment to improve the quality of psychiatric care.

The aim of this paper is to describe the characteristics of repeated episodes of violence among patients admitted to a Psychiatric Ward, which is a total of 66 beds at Doctor Rodriguez Lafora Hospital from January 2009 to December 2014.

We designed a retrospective, longitudinal and observational study over a 5-year period in two brief hospitalization units of Doctor Rodriguez Lafora Hospital in Madrid. The main variables studied were: type of admission, diagnosis, age, trigger and shift.

In our study, we analyzed the prototypical person who carries out these episodes of aggression: a male between 31–40 years, diagnosed with psychotic disorder or personality disorder, involuntary admitted. This episode is associated as a main trigger to mood disturbances, lack of acceptance of standards and psychotic symptoms. These episodes occur more frequently in the afternoon shift one business day and often processed without injuries or minor bruises to other patients and/or nursing assistants. In our practice, we have observed that in most cases adequate verbal restraint in the beginning is sufficient to prevent the episode of aggression.

Understand the aggressive factors can influence the production of violent behavior and the use of appropriate containment techniques may be considered a therapeutic option to prevent and address violent behavior in psychiatric patients hospitalized in brief hospitalization units.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.