How to Identify Suicidal People: A Systematic Approach to Risk Assessment - Softcover

Thomas White, Ph.D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0914783831 ISBN 13: 9780914783831

Publisher: The Charles Press, 1999

Synopsis

In an effort to help practitioners with the daunting task of evaluating suicide risk potential in their patients - a misdiagnosis can very well mean death - Dr. Thomas White, a clinical psychologist with over 35 years of experience in suicide assessment, has developed an entirely novel method, an actual system, of conducting effective suicide risk assessments that are clinically sound, professionally responsible and legally defensible. This is the first attempt ever to simplify and organize the suicide risk assessment process into a logical, structured format with practical and specific step-by-step instructions that can be followed from the beginning of the assessment to the end. Embracing a multidimensional, biopsychosocial approach, the system addresses all of the risk factors and clinical techniques that make up a thorough and insightful risk assessment.

Because assessments that follow this system are driven by objective data about the client that are based on well-researched risk factors, clinicians will feel confident that they have based their determinations of risk on information that is accepted by most professionals (and courts) instead of on their own personal assumptions and theories. An important and pioneering addition to the scant literature on suicide risk assessment, this new system will make the task of identifying suicide potential more accurate, reliable and safe.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas White, PhD, is a psychologist with than 35 years of experience in the field of correctional mental health. Currently in independent clinical practice, Dr. White provides consultation, training and correctional litigation support services on jail and prison suicide. His workshops on suicide risk management and clinical assessment have been presented to hundreds of mental health professionals and correctional administrators throughout the US and internationally and his consultation and training services have been used by more than 20 percent of US state departments of correction, several federal institutions and many county jail facilities.

Prior to entering private practice, Dr. White had a long and distinguished career at the Federal Bureau of Prisons where he held a variety of positions including Chief Psychologist at several facilities (most notably, the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth) and Coordinator of the Bureau of Prisons Suicide Prevention Program. While there, Dr. White was responsible for a wide range of clinical activities including the oversight of the psychology and drug treatment programs in 18 federal prisons programs that served the needs of over 22,000 inmates provided by 70 doctoral-level psychologists and more than 75 specialized treatment staff policy development, program oversight, specialized correctional training and supervision, individual and group therapy.

Review

This book offers an outstanding and unusually coherent and complete overview of the risk factors associated with suicidal behavior. It provides clinicians with an organized approach to gathering information about suicidal patients. --Annals of Internal Medicine

This is an excellent reference for mental health professionals who work with potentially suicidal people. Discusses the author's new method, an actual system of conducting risk assessment. --American Association of Suicidology

This book is a presentation of a comprehensive and long overdue suicide assessment system that mental health professionals could effectively and easily implement in everyday clinical practice. The purpose is to provide the reader with an effective method for conducting both both clinically relevant and legally defensible suicide assessments.

This is accomplished through the presentation of a clinically applicable set of guidelines for recognizing the factors necessary for identifying suicidal people and the ability to organize and structure the assessments. The HELPER Risk Assessment System [an acronym for the steps involved: Historical, Environmental, Lethality, Psychological, Evaluation and Reporting], is presented in six chapters and explained in complete and accurate detail. The system is supported by pertinent past and current literature and the author takes a refreshingly holistic stance on assessment by incorporating the multidimensional and biophysical approaches.

The separate chapter on legal issues involved in suicide litigation will benefit any clinician. The appendix includes low- and high-risk examples of suicide assessment reports and this complements the preceding chapters.

This is a useful book for any healthcare professional whose work involves assessing suicidal patients. Mental health professionals will find this book to be a reference for documentation standards and a clinical tool for accurate suicide assessments.

This book is a long awaited addition to the field of psychiatry in an area that is all too common in our everyday practice. --Doody's Health Sciences Book Review

Edition details

• Publisher: The Charles Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0914783831
• ISBN 13: 9780914783831
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 212