Mental Health and Aggression Sample Clauses

Mental Health and Aggression. Most people who experience mental health difficulties are not aggressive (Xxxxx et al., 2003), and large longitudinal cohort studies have illustrated that having a diagnosed mental health difficulty is associated instead with a significantly greater risk of being a victim of aggression than individuals with no diagnosis (Xxxx et al., 2018; Xxxxxxxxx et al., 2020). However, the inaccurate media portrayals of the link between mental health and aggression (Xxxxx et al., 2019) has contributed to the stigma faced by those with mental health difficulties (Xxxxxxxxx et al., 2020). Previous research has operationalised the terms ‘violence’ and ‘aggression’ differently, for example, including physical acts against another person but excluding verbal threats (Sedgwick et al., 2016b). Consistent with recommendations to consider the various forms that this behaviour can take (Xxxxxx et al., 2013), and to avoid a narrow definition encompassing only physical bodily harm, the term ‘aggression’ is used throughout this thesis. For those who do commit aggressive acts there is a large body of evidence establishing a significant association between some mental health difficulties and aggressive behaviour (Xxxxx et al., 2009b; Xxxxx et al., 2007) . Of these, the two categories of mental health difficulty commonly encountered at the interface between mental health services and the criminal justice system are schizophrenia-spectrum conditions and dissocial/antisocial personality disorder.