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Stalking — a contemporary challenge for forensic and clinical psychiatry

Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Declaration of interest None.

Correspondence: J. H. Kamphuis, University of Amsterdam Clinical Psychology, Roetersstraat 15, 1018 WB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: 020-5256785; fax: 020-6391369; e-mail: kp.kamphuis{at}macmail.psy.uva.nl

Background Stalking is causing pervasive and intense personal suffering and is an area of psychiatry that is currently overlooked.

Aims To review demographic and clinical characteristics of stalkers as well as the psychological consequences for victims of stalking.

Method A Medline and PsycLit search was conducted on stalking, forensic psychiatry, personality disorders, de Clérambault syndrome and erotomania, with respect to the relevance of the articles selected for stalking.

Results Stalkers are best thought of as a heterogeneous group whose behaviour can be motivated by different forms of psychopathology, including psychosis and severe personality disorders.

Conclusions There is a clear need to arrive at a consensus on a typology of stalkers and associated diagnostic criteria. The effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments have not yet been investigated. Treatment may need to be supplemented with external incentives provided by the legal system.

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