Recognizing the Suicidal Patient (IN: Suicide Risk the Formulation of Clinical Judgment, ed. by J T Maltsberger)

Dr. Maltsberger believes that the best means for making day-to-day clinical decisions about suicide risk is the psychodynamic case formulation: this is the estimation of suicide danger based on a psychoanalytical understanding of the patient’s character vulnerability to stress when a crisis occurs. He also discusses the epidemiology of suicide, & identifies those at greatest risk as aging white males & adolescent males (both black & white). (NBB)