In: Psychology
Suicidal emergencies are among other behavioral and psychiatric emergencies that provide the basis for emergency department visits. Therefore, emergency departments are ideal clinical environments for the assessment of suicidal patients. The hospital emergency department is often associated with traumatic events, it is the ideal environment to perform suicide risk assessments. Further, acutely suicidal individuals may report to the emergency department for crisis intervention and the staff must know how to properly assess the patient’s level of lethality and manage their care. They are responsible for treating and discharging a patient after a proper treatment.
51% of American psychiatrists report having had a patient who committed suicide51% of psychiatrists report having had a patient who committed suicide. Because patient suicide risk is real, psychiatrists often worry about malpractice claims. post-suicide lawsuits account for the largest number of malpractice suits against psychiatrists. so with malpractice claims increasing overall, clinicians should understand their potential liability in preventing suicide and the basic principles behind a malpractice claim.
yes, the daughter would have a cause of action against the psychologist for failing to tell the daughter about the man's threats against her. although it would be unethical of the psychologist in releasing this information, in this instance its crucial to reveal the information as it may concern the life of an another individual. Though confidentiality is the core of this profession, confidentiality is not the only core value. When values central to our work conflict--that is, when they encounter an ethical dilemma--they look to the APA Ethics Code for guidance. Ethical Standards 4.06 and 4.07 illustrate how the code negotiates between competing values when psychologists disclose confidential information for treatment- and nontreatment-related purposes