On the job violence still ranks high on the list of concerns for health care workers. The risk of a patient erupting in violence is a very real threat that needs to be addressed. So how can you tell if you are likely to be assaulted? The answer may be found in basic psychology, at least according to Dave McCubbin, an author and violence prevention trainer.

“When a person attacks obviously a primal mindset has taken over. The ‘secret’ is to know that when a person loses control they will show very identifiable, hard to disguise gestures. For example you can tell their brain is shutting down by how much they are saying. As they talk sentences will get shorter and shorter; this is a huge sign assault may be imminent. When they stop talking you have about 1 to 2 seconds before they attack,” said McCubbin.

He went on to explain that cognitive control, or our thought and reasoning process, is controlled at a very high level. As aggressive impulses take over the cognitive brain shuts down and risk of attack increases; therefore the trick is to keep cognition engaged as long as possible. This can be done through asking questions. “Questions keep higher brain functions engaged and stand a good chance of suppressing aggressive thoughts. Bear in mind questions should be conversational not interrogating as this may agitate someone”, said McCubbin.

McCubbin explained that the bottom line to preventing assaults is to understand violence is a process and people will show recognizable behaviors before they attack.