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Aggressive behaviour among mentally handicapped females in a closed villa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Philip J. McGarry
Philip J. McGarry*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast BT9 7AB, Northern Ireland. Formerly Registrar, Muckamore Abbey Hospital, Antrim, Northern Ireland
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Abstract

Minor aggression is common in a closed female villa in a hospital for the mentally handicapped. In this study it occurred most frequently between 8a.m. and 10p.m. with a lunch-time peak. More incidents occurred on Saturday than on any other day. Few of the patients were psychotic and incidents were related to meal-times and reduced supervision. The most common targets for aggressive behaviour were property and the patient herself. The most common locus for aggression was outside the Sister's office. Attention to improving communication skills and providing more supervision should help to reduce the level of aggression.

Keywords

AggressionMental RetardationHospitalClosed Villa
Type
Original Articles
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , September 1989 , pp. 125 - 127
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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