Who's watching you? | |
Stalkers and their victims. Paul E Mullen, Michele Pathe, Rosemary Purcell. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000 (310 pp). ISBN: 0 521 66950 2. |
From those who
fixate on the famous to those who harass and abuse former lovers, stalkers are the subject of public fascination. Given the complex psychiatric, sociological, and medicolegal issues associated with stalking, is it possible for a single publication to do the subject justice? I am pleased to report that the answer is a resounding yes! In Stalkers and their victims, Mullen, Pathe and Purcell have drawn on their extensive clinical experience and their knowledge of the literature to comprehensively explore the subject from a historical, epidemiological, phenomenological and clinical perspective. The authors manage the difficult task of providing a very detailed, well referenced, balanced text which is accessible to a wide audience. One expects a book from distinguished authors to be scholarly and comprehensive, but this one also makes enjoyable reading. Medical practitioners are potential victims of stalking, so even the disinterested may need to become better informed if a patient begins behaving like a potential stalker. Whatever your interest in stalking is, you are likely to find an up-to-date reference in this publication. There is a thoughtful account of the history of stalking, and the difficulties with definitions, boundaries and continuities. Importantly for clinicians, there is a critical review of the literature and a description of a classification system developed by one of the authors. This system aims to present more information about the stalker than can be achieved with the use of a single diagnostic category. The authors describe in detail the various clinical categories of the stalker, including approaches to management and detailed case histories. Management of the victims of stalking is discussed, as well as legislative approaches, and assessment and management issues in a medicolegal setting. Stalkers and their victims is likely to be the definitive text on the subject for some time to come. It will be of great interest to clinicians, students, and the lay reader and sets a very high standard for others wishing to write about the topic. J Murray Wright
|