Since the first edition of Clinical Manual for Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients was published in 2005, advances have been made that increase our understanding of suicidal and self-destructive behavior. Although clinicians cannot unerringly predict which patients will die by suicide, they can focus more successfully on early identification of suicidal behavior and effective intervention, and this new edition of the clinical manual thoroughly explores not only assessment of suicidality but what comes after an at-risk patient has been identified. The authors argue that treating specific psychiatric disorders is not enough to prevent suicide, and they offer clinicians the necessary information and strategies to bridge that gap. The authors' main premise is that suicide is a dangerous and short-term problem-solving behavior designed to regulate or eliminate intense emotional pain -- a quick fix where a long-term effective solution is needed -- and this understanding is the underpinning of the assessment and treatment strategies the authors recommend. Table of Contents: Dimensions of suicidal behavior The clinician's emotions, values, legal exposure, and ethics : global issues in the treatment of suicidal patients A basic model of suicidal behavior : a problem-solving model of suicidal behavior Assessment and case conceptualization : fundamental components of effective treatment Outpatient interventions with suicidal patients : caring for suicidal patients outside of the hospital Suicidal behavior and use of psychotropic medications The repetitiously suicidal patient : evaluation, intervention and crisis response Managing suicidal emergencies : using crisis to create positive change Hospitals and suicidal behavior : a complex relationship Suicidality and special populations Suicidal patients in primary care : responding to the challenge.

The authors combine their diverse training and disciplinary backgrounds to create a workable approach to dealing with suicidal patients. Much more than merely an academic text on suicide, this thought-provoking handbook provides detailed guidance and a true sense of what to do to help suicidal patients.

Today's psychiatrists practice in an environment that poses difficult challenges. Both treatment time and duration are limited by insurance requirements; many facilities are understaffed; split treatment arrangements are typical; and high-risk, acutely suicidal patients are admitted to inpatient units for short lengths of stay. In addition, law now plays a pervasive role in the practice of psychiatry. The doctor-patient relationship is no longer defined solely by the involved parties. Clinicians must juggle these requirements and limitations while providing the very best care to their patients, especially those at high risk. Preventing Patient Suicide: Clinical Assessment and Management provides the wisdom of Dr. Robert I. Simon's vast clinical experience, combined with the latest insights from the evidence-based psychiatric literature, to offer a cutting-edge survey of suicide prevention and management techniques. The author: Addresses sudden improvement in high-risk suicidal patients, a phenomenon both common and perilous, with techniques for determining whether the improvement is real or feigned. Explores in depth the misuse of suicide risk assessment forms, with emphasis on their inherent limitations. Examines the many entrenched myths and traditions about suicide, exposing them to the critical light of evidence-based medicine, including the concept of "imminent suicide risk" and the myth of "passive suicide ideation". Discusses the continuum of chronic and acute high-risk suicidal patients, the fluidity with which one can become the other, and the difficulty in assessing these patients. Explores how the law and psychiatry interact in frequently occurring clinical situations, and the importance of therapeutic risk management. In addition, the book contains a variety of features that illuminate the subject and enhance the reader's understanding, including: Inclusion of illustrative case studies, combined with commentary on commonly occurring but complex clinical situations. Key points at the end of each chapter that identify critical information. A Suicide Risk Assessment Self-Test, a teaching instrument that consists of fifty questions designed to enhance clinician suicide risk assessment by incorporating evidence-based risk and protective factors. Dr. Simon provides a nuanced, empathic, yet pragmatic perspective on identifying, assessing, and managing the suicidal patient while successfully navigating a complex legal and clinical environment that poses its own risks to the practitioner.

A concise review of current research into suicide providing a guide to understanding this disease and its increasing incidence globally.

Since the first edition of Clinical Manual for Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients was published in 2005, advances have been made that increase our understanding of suicidal and self-destructive behavior. Although clinicians cannot unerringly predict which patients will die by suicide, they can focus more successfully on early identification of suicidal behavior and effective intervention, and this new edition of the clinical manual thoroughly explores not only assessment of suicidality but what comes after an at-risk patient has been identified. The authors argue that treating specific psychiatric disorders is not enough to prevent suicide, and they offer clinicians the necessary information and strategies to bridge that gap. The authors' main premise is that suicide is a dangerous and short-term problem-solving behavior designed to regulate or eliminate intense emotional pain -- a quick fix where a long-term effective solution is needed -- and this understanding is the underpinning of the assessment and treatment strategies the authors recommend. The content of this new edition has been thoroughly reviewed and revised, and substantive changes have been made to specific chapters to ensure that the book represents the most current thinking and research, while retaining the strengths of the previous edition. The chapter on assessment has been revised to put the fundamental components of effective treatment in a clinical, case-oriented context and includes an easy-to-use assessment protocol that allows clinicians to determine where individual patients stand on seven dimensions (cognitive rigidity, problem-solving deficits, heightened mental pain, emotionally avoidant coping style, interpersonal deficits, self-control deficits, and environmental stress and social support deficits). The many issues involved in the use of psychotropic medications in suicidal patients are addressed in a new chapter, which includes information on the relevant classes of drugs (such as antidepressants and antianxiety agents) and the issues that may arise with their use, including side effects, degree of lethality, and tendency to aggravate suicidality on introduction and withdrawal of the medication. The chapter on special populations has been expanded to include adolescents, elders, and patients with co-occurring substance abuse or psychosis. Because of additional vulnerabilities, treating these groups may call for the use of added or special techniques to ensure the best therapeutic outcomes. Primary care physicians are the first point of contact for many patients, and they may require additional preparation in order to assess and respond to those experiencing suicidal thoughts. The chapter "Suicidal Patients in Primary Care" explores strategies for screening, recognizing, and assessing risk; treating the initial crisis; and developing a crisis management plan. "Tips for Success" appear at intervals, and "The Essentials" are included at the end of each chapter, highlighting the most important concepts. In addition, there are scores of helpful charts and exercises. Practical, accessible, and reader-friendly, the Clinical Manual for Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients is not an academic book but rather is one designed to become an indispensable part of clinicians' working libraries.

The Suicidal Crisis has everything clinicians need to evaluate the risk of imminent suicide. What sets it apart is its clinical focus on those at the highest risk--the book includes individual case studies of acutely suicidal individuals, detailed instructions on how to conduct risk assessments, test cases with answer keys, and empirically validated Suicidal Crisis risk assessment scales.

This book has been replaced by Managing Suicidal Risk, Third Edition, ISBN 978-1-4625-5269-6.