Exploring the Effects of Patients’ Violence on Mental Health Practitioners in Nigeria

This article examined patient violence on mental health practitioners, the experiences and the unique effects of these encounters among practitioners in the mental health setting, as well as the ways of minimizing these discomforting circumstances to enable a conducive atmosphere for the practitioners and their patients. The study created an in-depth understanding of the practitioners’ experiences, using a phenomenological design on 28 participants from three mental health settings in Nigeria. Data was transcribed word for word and analyzed and then displayed using matrix, quotations, and causal networks. Findings from the study indicated that violence against practitioners included physical attacks, lockups in the office, threats, abuses and insults, and accusations. Consequently, practitioners experienced fear, injury, distress, fatigue, reduced concentration and brain function, inadequate performance and poor general well-being. These patient attacks lead to disturbing experiences that are capable of causing pain and affecting the practitioner’s ability to handle patients and other duties. Nonetheless, patient hostility could be minimized by training the practitioners for a positive mindset, recruiting more practitioners, increasing security and providing rescue doors to every building in the psychiatric hospitals for easy escape.