Abstract
Forensic consultations with psychotic inpatients frequently include issues of risk management, such as dangerousness and civil commitment. An important dimension of these consultations is the role of command hallucinations in producing an increased risk of aggressive behavior. In the present study, psychotic patients with command hallucinations (N = 27) were compared with patients with other hallucinations (N = 27) and with other psychotic patients (N = 30). The groups did not differ on aggressive behavior or most nonhallucinatory symptoms. However, most patients (84.0%) with command hallucinations had recently obeyed them. Among those with command hallucinations, almost one-half had heard and attempted to obey messages of self-harm during the last month.
Footnotes
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Ms. Kasper is a predoctoral intern at Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA; Dr. Rogers is a professor of psychology and director of clinical training at the University of North Texas; and Ms. Adams is a doctoral student at the University of North Texas.
- Copyright © 1996, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
