The Globe and Mail - When violence explodes in the workplace
The attack by a deranged gunman on U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in a Tucson crowd occurred in a public setting, but it was also a workplace disaster. Ms. Giffords and her staff - one of whom was among the six people killed, two of whom were among the 13 injured - were on the job when they were gunned down. Violence in the workplace isn't uncommon, even in Canada (consider the 1992 murders of four Concordia University professors). And the devastating effect on employees lingers long after the violence ends.
Three recent studies shed light on risk factors for extreme violence, and the impact of traumatic workplace events on employees. The evidence shatters many assumptions. First, mental illness does not predict future violence without the kindling effect of alcohol or drugs, according to data and clinical experts.
"People with schizophrenia, who become violent, are people who have substance abuse problems," says Warren Steiner, psychiatrist-in-chief at 捆绑SM社区 Health Centre and one of the principal investigators of a study on the impact of the 2006 Dawson College shooting that killed one person and injured 19.