The aim of this study was to examine changes in levels of anger associated with a therapeutic theatre project. The population consisted of mentally disordered patients in a maximum security hospital, all of whom had a history of major violence. The subjects were being treated on a ward that specializes in psychotherapeutic interventions. Twelve young adult male patients, defined by structured interview for personality disorder and clinical diagnosis for mental illness, participated in a week-long dramatherapy project. They were evaluated using self-report questionnaires both before and after the week, as well as at three-month follow-up. Levels of anger significantly reduced from before to after the theatre week. This improvement was maintained at three-month follow-up. There was an associated increase in the frequency of attempts to control the expression of anger. It is concluded that a dramatherapy project within a psychotherapeutic environment may be an effective therapeutic modality for reducing anger levels in young mentally disordered offenders.
The aim of this study was to examine changes in levels of anger associated with a therapeutic theatre project. The population consisted of mentally disordered patients in a maximum security hospital, all of whom had a history of major violence. The subjects were being treated on a ward that specializes in psychotherapeutic interventions. Twelve young adult male patients, defined by structured interview for personality disorder and clinical diagnosis for mental illness, participated in a week‐long dramatherapy project. They were evaluated using self‐report questionnaires both before and after the week, as well as at three‐month follow‐up. Levels of anger significantly reduced from before to after the theatre week. This improvement was maintained at three‐month follow‐up. There was an associated increase in the frequency of attempts to control the expression of anger. It is concluded that a dramatherapy project within a psychotherapeutic environment may be an effective therapeutic modality for reducing anger levels in young mentally disordered offenders. Copyright © 1998 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Patients with personality disorder, and treatments for them, tend to be scattered haphazardly through the special hospitals. Individual patients may have comprehensive personal treatment plans which may include one or more forms of psychotherapy, and they may participate in group therapy. One ward (Woodstock) in Broadmoor Hospital, however, provides an environment which is unusual in special hospitals for its comprehensive approach to psychotherapeutic working and expectations from the patients of commitment to the community which will show in their treatment and development. This paper describes that approach.
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