Enhanced Clinical Manual for Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients

Since the publication of the first edition in 2005, significant advancements have been made in understanding suicidal and self-destructive behavior. In this new edition of the Clinical Manual for Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients, authors John A. Chiles and colleagues provide clinicians with the necessary information and strategies to bridge the gap between identifying at-risk patients and effective intervention.

Understanding Suicidal Behavior

Suicide is often seen as a dangerous and short-term problem-solving behavior designed to regulate or eliminate intense emotional pain. This understanding is the foundation of the assessment and treatment strategies presented in this comprehensive manual.

Assessment and Treatment Strategies

The revised chapter on assessment provides an easy-to-use 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.

A new chapter delves into the complex issues involved in the use of psychotropic medications in suicidal patients, including information on relevant classes of drugs, side effects, degree of lethality, and potential to aggravate suicidality.

Special Populations and Primary Care

The chapter on special populations has been expanded to include adolescents, elders, and patients with co-occurring substance abuse or psychosis, highlighting the need for tailored techniques to ensure the best therapeutic outcomes.

The “Suicidal Patients in Primary Care” chapter explores strategies for screening, recognizing, and assessing risk, treating the initial crisis, and developing a crisis management plan, providing primary care physicians with the necessary tools to effectively respond to patients experiencing suicidal thoughts.