IT IS with sadness that I read of the stabbing of Dr. Astrid Desrosiers by a man seeking psychiatric services at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s bipolar clinic (“Doctor stabbed, attacker killed,’’ Page A1, Oct. 28). The article was accompanied by a sidebar reporting that doctors see attacks on themselves as rare occurrences (Page A13).
Even though this may be true, as licensed clinical social workers working in hospitals, clinics, schools, offices, and people’s homes, we know from the professional literature that the incidence of physical assault on mental health clinicians is underreported.
In addition, violence is not limited to people with mental illness. It occurs in every economic, social, and diagnostic group. Workplace violence can occur for multiple reasons - for example, when a person feels panicked about his or her life situation and sees no good alternative for improvement, or from head traumas affecting the perceptions and processing of information. Rage seeks relief by expression, and violence can be the method of last resort.
Yet there is much we can do to reduce the incidence of violence in the workplace and make ourselves somewhat safer. We can learn and practice skills of assessment, of verbal de-escalation, and of nonviolent self defense. We can devise safety plans for each workplace setting, including how to call for help and who will come to assist. We can create and update administrative policies that support staff safety. We do not need to be afraid of clients to be as safe as possible in the helping professions.
Eva Skolnik-Acker
Boston
The writer, a licensed independent clinical social worker, chairs the Committee for the Study and Prevention of Violence Against Social Workers for the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association on Social Workers.
