Emotional Dysregulation: The Key to a Treatment Approach for Violent Mentally Ill Individuals

Prior research has suggested that psychopathy, substance abuse, and the presence of a personality disorder increase an individual's risk for violence toward others. Substantial clinical literature has established emotional dysregulation as a risk marker for violence toward self. It is hypothesized that emotional dysregulation may be an important component in a constellation of risk markers for violence toward others and may interact with psychopathy and substance abuse in individuals with personality disorders to enhance risk for violence. If these hypothesized relationships exist, it suggests that the development of an intervention approach which directly targets these factors may hold promise. A potential intervention approach based on dialectical behavioral therapy, with case illustrations, is provided.