RT Journal
A1 Rothstein DA
T1 HOmicidal threats.
JF Archives of General Psychiatry
JO Archives of General Psychiatry
YR 1969
FD August 1
VO 21
IS 2
SP 254
OP 256
DO 10.1001/archpsyc.1969.01740200126025
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1969.01740200126025
AB I have for some time been impressed by the writing of Dr. Macdonald. In particular an earlier book, The Murderer And His Victim,1 and one of his papers, "The Threat to Kill,"2 have been quite valuable to me in my own work. So it was with interest that I took on the job of reviewing his latest book. The anticipation was increased by its dust jacket, which carries the comment:Homicidal threats, like those of suicide, are more often made than fulfilled. How does one distinguish between serious threats and empty statements? In contrast to the vast literature on the evaluation of suicidal risk, the problem of homicidal threats has been curiously neglected.True enough. In our culture, at least, suicidal behavior has been considered to be de facto evidence of mental illness and, therefore, to be in the province of psychiatry. In contrast to