Suicide, Ethics, and the Law (IN: Suicide Over the Life Cycle, ed. by S J Blumenthal and D J Kupfer)

This article discusses the ethical conflict a clinician faces between protecting a patient from self-injury & allowing individual freedom & autonomy. The authors describe the determinist view of suicide, rational suicide, & euthanasia. They examine suicide from a legal perspective, & provide guidelines for managing suicidal patients in the context of the American legal system. They also discuss forensic issues that may arise after a suicide or suicide attempt. (VM)