engleski

Assessment of risk behaviour in psychiatric patients by a brief risk profile questionnaire - a pilot study

The assessment of risk that mentally ill patients may harm themselves or others has always been very important in psychiatry. A systemic and objective risk assessment may significantly affect and impact the therapeutic and management plan for each patient. The aim of this article was to explore the possibility of measuring the potential risk behaviour by using the Brief Risk Profile (BRP) in patients with psychotic illness and patients with personality disorder. We used the questionnaire for assessment of risk behaviour of mentally ill patients developed by John Butler (Butler 2001) in thirty-two patients. With the mentioned questionnaire we assessed the risk behaviours of psychiatric patients during hospitalisation, taking into account the currently evident risk factors as well the risk factors present in the past. Applying the BRP questionnaire we got the information on risk behaviour that could be of clinical relevance. The processing of data obtained by the questionnaires proved the validity of BRP as a very useful instrument for the current and past risk in patients with mental disorders.

Brief Risk Profile questionnaire; mentally ill patients; risk behaviour

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