Rachlin S
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Nassau County Medical Center, East Meadow, N.Y. 11554.
Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 1994;22(2):239-47.
Is arrest and prosecution an acceptable response to assault committed by a psychiatric inpatient? The first reported case of such a response was in 1978, and the second not until seven years later. Soon after, an inconclusive debate over the propriety of prosecuting patients, with additional illustrative examples, took place in the psychiatric literature. The present author adds three more case reports in this communication, as well as outlines what actually occurs in his state. Three very recent publications have clarified the conflicts and ethical issues in this still-delicate discussion. It is concluded that predatory patient behavior should, in selected circumstances, correctly lead to the imposition of criminal sanctions, whether initiated by victims or clinicians.
对精神科住院患者实施的攻击行为进行逮捕和起诉是否是可接受的应对措施？此类应对措施的首例报告发生在1978年，第二例直到七年后才出现。此后不久，精神病学文献中就患者起诉的适当性展开了一场尚无定论的辩论，并列举了更多示例。本文作者在本通讯中增加了三例病例报告，并概述了他所在州实际发生的情况。最近的三篇出版物澄清了这场仍很微妙的讨论中的冲突和伦理问题。得出的结论是，在某些特定情况下，掠夺性患者行为应正确导致实施刑事制裁，无论是由受害者还是临床医生发起。
