Clinical Practice Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Aggressive and Assaultive Behaviour

Aggressive and assaultive behavior is a complex issue and is dealt with effectively with an appropriate management plan. Environmental modification and the safety of another person and the patient should be our priorities. Nonpharmacological methods should be the choice of initial response in case of such acute behavioral disturbance. A pharmacological approach should be used only in case of failure of other strategies. Extensive monitoring of physical health and trying to find out underlying psychopathological issues should be important aspects of care. Certain points like the definition of treatment end points, proper assessment instrument for response measurement, and issues related to consent and library of patients required further research in this area.