Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk: Guidelines for Clinically Based Risk ManagementPatient suicide is an unavoidable occupational hazard of psychiatric practice. Indeed, it is the rare clinician who does not struggle, even agonize, over the complex task of assessing and managing the risk of suicide in patients. Patient suicides account for the greatest number of malpractice suits filed against psychiatrists and for the greatest number of settlements and verdicts covered by professional liability insurers. In this book, written by a clinician for clinicians, Dr. Simon, an established expert in psychiatry and law, offers A solid, easy-to-understand review of how medical malpractice law applies to patient suicides. He discusses the standards of care physicians must meet, the conditions associated with malpractice liability, and how best to minimize risks of litigation. Extensive references to peer-reviewed literature on suicide and recent malpractice cases, including those triggered by patient suicides, which give insight into the latest developments in both the scientific community and the courts. Much-needed practical advice, including advice on working with suicide risk assessments and suicide prevention contracts, on treating suicidal patients in various settings (outpatient, inpatient, collaborative, and emergency), and on coping with issues arising in the aftermath of a patient's suicide (documentation, confidentiality, and survivor care). Clearly defined risk management guidelines that will help clinicians avoid litigation or establish a sound legal defense if sued for malpractice. Numerous case examples that make the theoretical discussions and clinically based risk management guidelines that follow come alive. Rich in advice that draws on the author's more than 40 years of clinical experience, this book serves as an essential aid to clinicians. |
From inside the book
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... suicide risk assessments Generally , malpractice claims against psychiatrists for a patient's suicide are brought under the following theories of negligence : ˇ Failure to properly diagnose the patient's condition • • Failure to ...
... patient who attempts or commits suicide to determine the rea- sonableness of the suicide risk assessment process and whether the patient's suicide attempt or suicide was foreseeable ( Simon 2001 ) . Courts generally assume that if the ...
... patient's suicide , the suicide by itself does not establish that the psychiatrist was negligent . In Siebert v . Fink ( 2001 ) , the court held that a clinician is not automatically li- able when a patient commits suicide , provided ...
... patient's calls may constitute substandard care , he argues that the patient's suicide attempt was the result of combining alcohol with the first - time use of an illegal " street drug , " cocaine . The combination of alcohol and ...
... death would likely be considered " unforeseeable . " The patient's unexplained behavior could be considered an " inter- vening cause , " severing the chain of causation between the psychi- atrist and the patient's suicide . A patient ...
Contents
1 | |
25 | |
Discharge and Aftercare | 36 |
Partial Hospitalization Programs and Intensive | 79 |
5 | 105 |
Emergency Psychiatric Services | 173 |
Documentation | 191 |
Index of Legal Cases and Statutes | 217 |
Other editions - View all
Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk: Guidelines for Clinically Based Risk ... Robert I. Simon No preview available - 2004 |