55% of psychiatrists have been attacked by patients

MORE THAN half of all consultant psychiatrists working in Ireland have been physically assaulted by their patients, with one in five stating they feel “stalked” while on duty.

A study of the profession has found that despite promised safety improvements in the aftermath of a 2008 double stabbing at a mental health facility, doctors are continuing to be put at risk.

According to the study – conducted by Dr Annette Kavanagh of the HSE’s general adult psychiatry service in north Dublin and Dr Liam Watters, clinical director of St Senan’s Hospital in Co Wexford – 55% of medics working in the field have been physically attacked while at work.