A review of violence risk assessment for the general clinician

Violence risk assessment is an integral part of mental health evaluations. Components of violence risk assessment include defining the risk assessment question, considering base rate data, considering risk and protective factors in the population, and identifying risk factors specific to the person being evaluated. The methods and instruments used to assess risk vary based on structure, validity, and availability. Threat assessment, which is an idiographic or case-driven approach, is an emerging area of study separate from violence risk assessment. Clinical situations also arise in which clinicians do not have specific tools or validated methods to assess violence risk; in these types of cases, a fact-based inquiry should be considered.