Sexual abuse in psychiatric hospitals: developing policies to aid prevention

Abstract

Over the last few years, there has been a considerable increase in public awareness of the sexual abuse of children and the incidence of violence, often with sexual aspects, to women in their homes and elsewhere. Questions about such occurrences are now frequently asked as part of the psychiatric assessment of women patients (Palmer et al, 1992). However, only comparatively recently has the issue of sexual assault within psychiatric provision begun to be raised (Gath, 1989; Subotsky, 1991; Tonks, 1992).