Robert I. Simon, M.D., a preeminent psychiatrist and prolific author on the subject of law and psychiatry, offers a pragmatic and empathic guide for clinicians grappling with that most critical of questions: How can I protect my patients from themselves? Though even the most conscientious psychiatrist cannot prevent every suicide, suicide risk can be assessed, managed, and reduced. Dr. Simon acknowledges that the professional environment in which clinicians now practice is often inhospitable to the time-consuming task of understanding the patient; yet Know thy patient is his theme and imperative. Readers will benefit from the instructive case examples and commentary. Suicide risk assessment is a core competency that draws on both art and science. In Preventing Patient Suicide: Clinical Assessment and Management, Dr. Simon synthesizes his clinical experience, the shared clinical experiences of colleagues, and the evidence-based psychiatric literature to create an insightful guide which should be an essential component in any practicing psychiatrist s library.
Author(s): Robert I. Simon
Edition: 1
Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 236
Contents......Page 8
Foreword......Page 10
Preface......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
PART I: ASSESSMENT......Page 16
1 Suicide Risk Assessment: A GATEWAY TO TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT......Page 18
2 Enhancing Suicide Risk Assessment Through Evidence-Based Psychiatry......Page 54
3 Assessing and Enhancing Protective Factors Against Suicide Risk......Page 66
4 Behavioral Risk Assessment of the Guarded Suicidal Patient......Page 74
5 Psychiatric Disorders and Suicide Risk......Page 86
6 Sudden Improvement in Patients at High Risk for Suicide: REAL OR FEIGNED?......Page 98
PART II: MANAGEMENT......Page 110
7 Patients at Acute and Chronic High Risk for Suicide: CRISIS MANAGEMENT......Page 112
8 Safety Management of the Patient at Risk for Suicide: COPING WITH UNCERTAINTY......Page 130
9 Gun Safety Management of Suicidal Patients: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH......Page 150
10 Suicide Risk Assessment Forms: CLINICIAN BEWARE......Page 166
11 Imminent Suicide, Passive Suicidal Ideation, and Other Intractable Myths......Page 174
12 Quality Assurance Review of Suicide Risk Assessments: REALITY AND REMEDY......Page 192
13 Therapeutic Risk Management of the Patient at Risk for Suicide: CLINICAL-LEGAL DILEMMAS......Page 202
Appendix: Suicide Risk Assessment Self-Test......Page 218
C......Page 230
E......Page 231
I......Page 232
P......Page 233
R......Page 234
S......Page 235
W......Page 236
