By Cheryl Paradis, Psy.D., Psychology Today

It was a shock to hear about the shootings at the University of Alabama and the arrest of assistant biology professor Amy Bishop. As a forensic psychologist, I am always aware that I could be hurt by a defendant I am interviewing, but, like most people, I never imagine that I could be hurt by a co-worker.

Dr. Bishop is accused of killing three colleagues and injuring three others during a faculty meeting. Her court-appointed attorney, who seems to be laying the foundation for a psychiatric defense, told the press that she is mentally ill and has claimed amnesia for the time of the shooting.

I have evaluated many defendants who have killed family members, acquaintances, and strangers, and I have seen how seemingly stable people are driven to the breaking point. As an associate professor at a small liberal arts college, I also have first-hand knowledge of the pressures of academic life. College professors at prestigious institutions-and untenured faculty just about everywhere-work under high levels of stress. Academics must “publish or perish” to survive the zero-sum game of the tenure track process. Those who are denied tenure are essentially fired.

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By Stacey Miller, advanceweb.com

Last week, a patient pulled out a gun on a hospital unit and shot a nurse at least three times.
It happened March 2 at Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT. The nurse shot was Andrew Hull, BSN, RN. He was wounded, after allegedly protecting one of his co-workers from the gunfire.

It seems whenever you read news stories about random acts of violence, people often are quoted as saying they could never have imagined something like that happening there or happening to them. But looking at this incident at Danbury, I was wondering whether nurses have that same luxury. Can they truly say they never imagined experiencing an act of violence in their careers?

According to a 2009 report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health titled “State of the Sector/Healthcare and Social Assistance,” healthcare workers are more than three times as likely as workers in other industries to be injured by acts of violence.

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By Don Aines, The Herald-Mail

From shoves to shootings, more than 1.8 million acts of workplace violence are reported yearly in the United States, according to P.M. Forni, incidents that usually “have their origins in an act of disrespect … that escalates into physical violence.”

Rudeness weakens social bonds, erodes self-esteem, increases stress, hurts relationships, weakens communities and escalates violence, Forni told community and business leaders attending a symposium on civility Tuesday at Hager Hall Conference & Event Center.

The author of “Choosing Civility, Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct,” Forni was at the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce event to kick off Choose Civility Washington County, a program that grew from efforts by the Washington County Public Schools to draft a policy on bullying and harassment, said Superintendent Elizabeth Morgan.

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By Joel Griffin, SecurityInfoWatch.com

As more and more incidents of workplace and school shootings dominate headlines across the country, security managers find themselves looking for ways to identify potential threats before they manifest themselves into acts of violence.

Often the warning signs exhibited by those responsible for bringing terror to their local communities are not recognized by security. According to violence prevention expert John Byrnes, however, many times warning signs are apparent but security personnel are not looking at the right personality or character traits to discern an angry person from someone committed to carrying out an act of terror.

In this “At the Frontline,” Byrnes, who is the founder and president of the Center for Aggression Management, discusses some of the strategies he and his organization have developed over the past 15 years to help combat workplace violence and the tell-tale signs of potential violent persons that security managers need to on the lookout for.

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Press Release from ADT Security Services

Despite terrible incidents of violence that have been reported on a few college and university campuses in the U.S. and Canada, most are generally safe places. However, there are many common campus crimes such as theft, robbery, rape and assault that regularly occur. In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that one in five women will be the victim of attempted or actual sexual assault during their college careers.

Patrick V. Fiel, public safety advisor for ADT Security Services said, “As high school students and their parents consider college choices, they need to look beyond academics and extra-curricular activities to choose campuses that also make student safety a priority.”

As parents and students tour college campuses this spring, Fiel and ADT recommend the following campus safety tips to help parents and students make that important college choice with safety in mind:

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By Kerri Panchuk, Dallas Business Journal

If the case of a disgruntled financial services client who opened fire against his financial advisers in North Dallas can teach us anything, it’s that workplaces should not ignore threats or unusual behavior exhibited by employees and clients.

That’s the point FBI educator and workplace violence expert Larry Barton hopes to get across to managers at firms across the United States, especially those in financial services.

“I would say that the industry that I have the greatest concern for is the financial services industry,” he said. “The primary reason for that is with market losses and home values under water, people are experiencing depression and anger, and they are looking for someone to blame.”

Barton, a professor of management at The American College in Bryn Mawr, Penn., said in the recession the face of workplace violence is changing.

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By Evan Shields, Evansville Courier & Press

On Thursday, the Indiana General Assembly sent a bill to Gov. Mitch Daniels that would ensure a worker’s right to bring guns to work, as long as they remain locked in the employee’s vehicle.

The next day, a Portage man who was angry about a poor performance review at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development went to his car, grabbed a shotgun, returned to his office building and began shooting at his co-workers.

Though no one was injured, some Indiana lawmakers and business groups pointed to that incident Monday as they pleaded with Daniels to veto the bill.

“This is further evidence that guns and the workplace simply don’t mix,” said Kevin Brinegar, Indiana Chamber of Commerce president. “The last thing our state should do is validate the opportunity for a disgruntled employee to get a gun from his or her vehicle and threaten the lives of innocent co-workers and bystanders.”

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By Luke Williams, EurekaStreet.com.au

The growing awareness and legislation around bullying has had an unintended consequence: many workplace bullies have simply become sneaky.

Covert bullying is now far more common than overt aggression. The modern workplace bully debilitates with a thousand subtle cuts; sarcasm, innuendo, sabotage, exclusion, criticism, overloading, discrimination. It’s delicate but deadly psychological warfare, difficult to detect, tricky to explain and hard to report. Indeed, when it comes to psychical damage, the poison of workplace bullying is usually worse than its bite.

Norwegian researcher and psychologist Stale Einarsen’s long-term research showed that 75 per cent of workplace bully victims displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Even five years after the bullying, 65 per cent still had nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks and anxiety. An even higher proportion felt the bullying had a long-lasting and negative impact on their friendships, leisure time, familial and sexual relationships.

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By Robert Miller, Behavioral Health Central

Last week, when 85-year old Stanley Lupienski, a patient at Danbury Hospital, pulled out a gun and started shooting — hitting Andy Hull, a male nurse, three times — people were rightly horrified. Hospitals, they said, are places of healing and safety.

But regularly at Danbury Hospital — and at almost any hospital in the U.S. — a patient yells at a nurse, pushes and curses the staff, takes a swing at someone, and has to be physically subdued.

“We’re routinely assaulted,” said Dr. Charles Herrick, chairman of psychiatry at Danbury Hospital. “It’s a very common problem, and it’s getting worse.”

According to a report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health — “State of the Sector/Healthcare and Social Assistance” — published in 2009, health care workers are more than three times as likely as workers in other industries to be injured by acts of violence.

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