@article{ref1,
title="Self-injury and violence in people with severe learning disabilities",
journal="British journal of psychiatry",
year="1998",
author="Read, S.",
volume="172",
number="",
pages="381-384",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Psychiatry in severe and profound learning disability is essentially behavioural psychiatry. Some clinical and research observations of disorders of behaviour in this group are summarised in this study. METHOD: After inspection of the literature, I postulated a clinical syndrome of violence and self-injury in the severely learning disabled. A check-list of behavioural symptoms was developed and used in a community survey. RESULTS: Behaviour, assessed by the check-list, supported the existence of organic behaviour disorder, as did small-scale psychophysiological testing. CONCLUSIONS: Self-injury is strongly associated with violence, and with severe and profound learning disability. Pathophysiology of violence and self-injury may include high levels of psychophysiological arousal demonstrated by unstable EEGs. Reduction of arousal by antipsychotic medication is associated with clinical improvement in violent and self-injurious behaviours.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0007-1250",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}