TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1999//
TI  - The suicide prevention contract: clinical, legal, and risk management issues
JO  - The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
A1  - Simon, R. I.
SP  - 445
EP  - 450
VL  - 27
IS  - 3
N2  - In the managed care era, mental health professionals increasingly rely upon suicide prevention contracts in the management of patients at suicide risk. Although asking a patient if he or she is suicidal and obtaining a written or oral contract against suicide can be useful, these measures by themselves are insufficient. "No harm" contracts cannot take the place of formal suicide risk assessments. Obtaining a suicide prevention contract from the patient tends to be an event whereas suicide risk assessment is a process. The suicide prevention contract is not a legal document that will exculpate the clinician from malpractice liability if the patient commits suicide. The contract against self-harm is only as good as the underlying soundness of the therapeutic alliance. The risks and benefits of suicide prevention contracts must be clearly understood.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1093-6793
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -