The Suicidal Patient ─ Clinical and Legal Standards of Care

While focusing new attention on minorities and veterans, Bongar (psychology, Palo Alto U.) and Sullivan (psychology, Virginia Military Institute) provide an overview and distillation of the latest research and guidelines and clinical strategies for dealing with the suicidal patient. They present information that will lead to optimum assessment, treatment, and management. They offer the book as a training tool, which includes recent clinical and scientific data about suicide. The authors' stated main goals are to review 10 years of empirical literature, integrate it with theory, combine it with necessary statutes professional psychologists must adhere to, and create practical applications essential for clinical work, as well as to provide recommendations of how to treat the suicidal patient. There are six chapters: The knowledge base, legal perspectives, and the assessment of elevated risk comprise the first three. Four and five deal with inpatient and outpatient management and treatment. Six covers risk management. The authors target three audiences: mental health professionals, institutions, and attorneys who deal with suicide-related issues. There is an afterword, appendixes A-D, references, and information about the authors. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)