Citation

Yakeley J, Adshead G. J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 2013; 41(1): 38-45.

Affiliation

MB, Broadmoor Hospital, Crowthorne, Berkshire, UK RG45 7EG. gwen.adshead@wlmht.nhs.uk.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Publisher American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

23503174

Abstract

In this article, we discuss psychological approaches to the understanding of acts of violence and, specifically, psychodynamic approaches to both formulation and treatment. We suggest that the key theoretical paradigm of a psychodynamic approach involves the exploration and elaboration of the meaning of a violent act for the offender and describe the relevance of this approach for both legal assessments and clinical services in secure residential care. We argue that a psychodynamic approach can improve the quality of assessments of both psychopathology and risk and inform effective therapeutic interventions in hard-to-treat patients.

Language: en