- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry
- 11.1 General principles of law relating to people with mental disorder
- 11.2 Psychosocial causes of offending
- 11.3 Associations between psychiatric disorder and offending
- 11.4 Mental disorders among offenders in correctional settings
- 11.5 Homicide offenders including mass murder and infanticide
- 11.6 Fraud, deception, and thieves
- 11.7 Juvenile delinquency and serious antisocial behaviour
- 11.8 Child molesters and other sex offenders
- 11.9 Arson (fire-raising)
- 11.10 Stalking
- 11.11 Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- 11.12 Domestic violence
- 11.13 The impact of criminal victimization
- 11.14 Assessing and managing the risks of violence towards others
- 11.15 The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- 11.16 Managing offenders with psychiatric disorders in general psychiatric services
- 11.17 Management of offenders with mental disorder in specialist forensic mental health services
Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- Chapter:
- Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- Author(s):
Paul E. Mullen
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0264
The querulant pursue their vision of justice through litigation in the court, through petitions to the powerful, and finally through the various agencies of accountability. In practice all three avenues are often explored. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century it was the civil courts in which these dramas were usually played out. Today the main burden falls on the complaints organizations. After a brief historical overview, this chapter addresses clinical features, clinical assessment, and management.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 9.1 General issues
- 9.2 Clinical syndromes
- 9.3 Situations affecting child mental health
- 9.4 The child as witness
- 9.5 Treatment methods for children and adolescents
- Section 10 Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation)
- Section 11 Forensic Psychiatry
- 11.1 General principles of law relating to people with mental disorder
- 11.2 Psychosocial causes of offending
- 11.3 Associations between psychiatric disorder and offending
- 11.4 Mental disorders among offenders in correctional settings
- 11.5 Homicide offenders including mass murder and infanticide
- 11.6 Fraud, deception, and thieves
- 11.7 Juvenile delinquency and serious antisocial behaviour
- 11.8 Child molesters and other sex offenders
- 11.9 Arson (fire-raising)
- 11.10 Stalking
- 11.11 Querulous behaviour: vexatious litigation, abnormally persistent complaining and petitioning
- 11.12 Domestic violence
- 11.13 The impact of criminal victimization
- 11.14 Assessing and managing the risks of violence towards others
- 11.15 The expert witness in the Criminal Court: assessment, reports, and testimony
- 11.16 Managing offenders with psychiatric disorders in general psychiatric services
- 11.17 Management of offenders with mental disorder in specialist forensic mental health services