[Stalking: problems in differentiation between aberrant social behaviour and mental disorders].

The concept "stalking" refers to willful, malicious, and repeated following or harassment of another person that threatens her or his security. Although there is nothing new about the occurrence of this conduct it has been discussed in psychiatry more intensely in recent years. As a result there are a few attempts at classification, without any claim of general validity. Patterns of stalking behaviour reflect a wide spectrum from aggressive actions in the course of conflicts in a relationship to schizophrenia. Thus, it is not adequate to classify this as a psychiatric disorder per se. Thorough diagnostic assessments are mandatory before introducing legal measures, whereas if these are omitted, the term "mental disorder" may be inappropriately used in a wider sense. This may entail unfavourable consequences to be discussed in this paper.