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The American Academy of Neurology has published a position statement on abuse of neurology patients, calling on neurologists to routinely screen for and address past or current abuse of their patients by family members or others.
The statement outlines definitions of abuse — including physical, emotional, sexual, child, and elder abuse — and lists the common neurological and psychiatric sequelae of abuse. The position statement also lists actions the clinician should take when dealing with abuse. The authors stress that these patients require appropriate referral to protective agencies, often emergently, and that such protection can result in increase in quality of life and reduction of neurological disability.