Abstract
Workplace violence has captured the attention of the public, the media, and employers since a series of shootings at the U.S. Postal Service facilities in the late 1980s gave rise to misplaced concerns about employees, primarily disgruntled current or former employees, “going postal.” Psychiatrists and other clinicians who possess the requisite knowledge and experience to address workplace violence concerns can play an important role in assessing and managing violence risk, including addressing the misperception that individuals with mental illness are significantly more likely to be violent. A clinician who is treating the employee in question can contribute first-hand knowledge to the risk assessment process, but should not serve as the sole evaluator of risk and fitness for duty. This chapter discusses the reasons for using independent expert evaluators rather than the employee’s treating clinician alone, and the components of a thorough workplace violence risk assessment and analysis.
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Schouten, R. (2013). Workplace Violence Evaluations and the ADA. In: Gold, L., Vanderpool, D. (eds) Clinical Guide to Mental Disability Evaluations. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5447-2_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5447-2_11
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