PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jessica Yakeley
AU  - Gwen Adshead
TI  - Locks, Keys, and Security of Mind: Psychodynamic Approaches to Forensic Psychiatry
DP  - 2013 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 38--45
VI  - 41
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/41/1/38.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/41/1/38.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2013 Mar 01; 41
AB  - In this article, we discuss psychological approaches to the understanding of acts of violence and, specifically, psychodynamic approaches to both formulation and treatment. We suggest that the key theoretical paradigm of a psychodynamic approach involves the exploration and elaboration of the meaning of a violent act for the offender and describe the relevance of this approach for both legal assessments and clinical services in secure residential care. We argue that a psychodynamic approach can improve the quality of assessments of both psychopathology and risk and inform effective therapeutic interventions in hard-to-treat patients.