Victimization and Experiences of Violence Among Mental Health Service Users

While only a very small number of people with severe mental illness will perpetrate violence, people with mental disorders are at increased risk for being victimised themselves compared to the general population. Victimisation not only causes physical injuries but has detrimental effects on mental health and recovery. Victimisation contributes to the development, perpetuation and exacerbation of mental disorders. There is a broad range of violence experiences including domestic, community, and institutional violence, e.g. coercive treatment during hospital stay. Despite the alarming prevalences of victimisation among service users, their violence experiences are often not sufficiently addressed by professionals in mental health and other settings.

Victimization and violence experiences among service users are entangled with the social and biographical context, albeit not well understood yet. There is a significant need for research on the subjective perspectives on experiences of violence, the impact of gender on victimisation and violence experiences, biographical dynamics and trajectories of victimisation and re-victimisation, and the victim-offender overlaps. A comprehensive understanding of violence experiences should focus on the social, biographical and institutional context factors, and the identification of barriers for adressing experiences of violence within mental health settings.

This session welcomes papers focusing on the diverse aspects of violence and victimisation in the context of mental health and illness including experiences of physical, sexual or emotional violence within private, public and institutional settings from childhood to adulthood, discourses on violence and mental illness, coercive treatment and violent behavior within mental health settings, and programs or interventions addressing these problems.