Sections
Suicide: Introduction | Suicide Statistics | Suicide Risk Assessment | Suicide Risk and Protective Factors | Populations at Suicide Risk | Treatment | Safety Management | Suicide Aftermath | Risk Management | Conclusion | Key Points | Suggested Readings | References
Excerpt
There are two kinds of clinical psychiatrists:
those who have had patient suicides, and those who will have patient suicides.
Every patient suicide is also a tragedy for the clinician and for
the suicide survivors. Patient suicide is an occupational hazard
of psychiatric practice, accompanied by increased malpractice liability
exposure (see Figure 41–1 in Chapter 41, "Psychiatry
and the Law," by Simon and Shuman). The only way to avoid
patient suicide attempts or patient suicides is to not treat patients.