TY - JOUR T1 - Locks, Keys, and Security of Mind: Psychodynamic Approaches to Forensic Psychiatry JF - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online JO - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law SP - 38 LP - 45 VL - 41 IS - 1 AU - Jessica Yakeley AU - Gwen Adshead Y1 - 2013/03/01 UR - http://jaapl.org/content/41/1/38.abstract N2 - 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. ER -