Stalking and querulous behaviour
Stalking and querulousness describe problem behaviours characterized by persistently pursuing a person or a cause in such a manner, or to such an extent, that the behaviour creates fear, distress, or disruption to those involved or targeted. An obvious obsessive or fixated quality is associated with both behaviours, and personality traits of rigidity and rumination are frequently observed, though the state of mind rarely conforms to that found in obsessional disorders. Stalkers and querulants rarely regard their behaviour as unjustified, let alone irrational, and few see their persistence as senseless. They may resist the impulse or urge to pursue their victims or cause on occasion but, for the most part, devote themselves wholeheartedly to their objectives. This chapter explores the epidemiology ad phenomenology of stalking and querulousness and the role of (forensic) psychiatry in responding not only to the perpetrators of these behaviours, but also to the unfortunate victim’s of their disordered attention.