RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: General hospitals are increasingly providing psychiatric services in Sri Lanka. They face special challenges and patient violence is one of them. OBJECTIVE: To find out the extent of violence and factors that are associated with such violence in general hospital psychiatry units. SETTING: General Hospital, Peradeniya, male psychiatry ward. METHODS: All violent incidents were prospectively recorded in the male psychiatry unit for one year. The daily patient total, diagnoses and patient activity levels were also tabulated. RESULTS: 118 incidents of serious violence were recorded over one year. 42% of this violence was directed at the nurses. Alcohol withdrawal was the commonest cause of violence (45.7%), and schizophrenia and mania accounted for 43.0%. The other most important factor associated with violence was overcrowding of the wards. CONCLUSIONS: Patient violence is a common problem in general hospital psychiatry wards. Alcohol withdrawal is an important cause of patient violence in this setting. Steps to reduce overcrowding and treatment of alcohol dependence in special alcohol units are likely to reduce such violence.