Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Stalking 

Stalking
Chapter:
Stalking
Author(s):

Paul E. Mullen

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0263
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 19 September 2021

Not a few psychiatrists, at least of my generation, have difficulties with the notion of problem behaviour like stalking being a proper subject for mental health concern. Psychiatry has traditionally been wary of concerning itself directly with criminal and antisocial behaviours. The approach taken in this chapter was, in contrast, to define a pattern of behaviour destructive to the interests of perpetrator and victim and then to examine its origins, effects, and potential therapeutic management. That this is an enterprise with risks for the ethical integrity of psychiatry is undoubted. But recognizing that psychiatry can have a role in assessing and managing problem behaviours, without first performing obfuscating transformations into supposed mental disorders such as paraphilias and impulse control disorders, allows a more clear sighted and effective approach to areas of human activity where our intervention can benefit both the actor and the wider community.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.