Challenging the underlying assumption that suicidal behavior can be predicted and controlled, the authors conceptualize suicidality as problem-solving behavior to which an individual resorts when other options seem to have failed.

With suicide death rates climbing among the young, the elderly, and military veterans, the need for practical clinical guidance has never been more acute. This new edition of the Clinical Manual for the Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients provides current, competent, and compassionate information for clinicians dealing with potentially suicidal patients. Challenging the underlying assumption that suicidal behavior can be predicted and controlled, the authors conceptualize suicidality as problem-solving behavior to which an individual resorts when other options seem to have failed. When the assumption is that a patient's suicidal behavior represents his or her best attempt to deal with life's difficulties at that moment, a different model of intervention emerges, one the authors address in detail. Cognizant of the time and productivity pressures experienced by today's clinicians, the authors provide checklists, tables, and patient assessment tools, as well as case examples that model clinician-patient interactions. The key concepts are summarized at the end of each chapter, and tips for success are highlighted throughout the text.

The authors of the second edition of Clinical Manual for the Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients--two psychiatrists and a clinical psychologist--have leveraged their respective and considerable strengths to create a thought-provoking guide that practitioners and trainees in both mental health and primary care will find useful and accessible.