Long-Term Forensic Psychiatric Care

Birgit Völlm has been the Medical Director of the Forensic psychiatric hospital and Professor in Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Rostock since 2018. Before that she was a Professor of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Nottingham and an Honorary Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in the Enhanced Service for Personality Disorders (previously Dangerous & Severe Personality Disorders) at Rampton high secure hospital in the UK. Prof Völlm is a member (previously Chair) of the Board of the Forensic Section of the European Psychiatric Association and the Vice-Chair of the Forensic Section of the World Psychiatric Association. She was one of the experts on the NICE guidance group on the management of violence. Her main research interests include the neurobiology of antisocial personality disorders and social cognition, treatment of personality disorders, service development, comparisons between service delivery in different European countries and ethical issues in forensic psychiatry. She has held national and European grants on long-stay in forensic settings, the effectiveness of Individual Placement Support for forensic patients and on Circles of Support and Accountability for the reintegration of sex offenders into the community. She has published over 100 scientific papers and book chapters.

Preface.-Introduction.- Part I - The context: Asylums and deinstitutionalization: The Penrose hypothesis in the 21st century.-Challenges in comparing healthcare systems across different countries.- Long-term in forensic care in Europe.- Characteristic and needs of long-term patients in the UK.- Challenges in the provision of forensic services in Eastern Europe.- Ethical and human rights aspects of long-term.- Part II - Clinical aspects of long-term: What works for long-term forensic patients.- How to measure progress in forensic care.- Enhancing protective factors in the management of violence risk in long-term stay patients.- Challenges in the treatment of sex offenders.- Occupational therapy with long-term service users.- The importance of ward climate.- Quality of life in forensic settings.- Patient experiences of long-term.- A service user perspective.- Involving carers in forensic settings.- Part III - Alternative provision.- The closure of forensic-psychiatric institutions inItaly.- The Dutch model of long stay.- German long-term services in forensic settings.- Complementary model of long-term service as the result of reform of forensic psychiatry system after political transformation.- Attitudinal and organizational barriers to the introduction of long-term services.