Suicidal Threats and Behavior in a Person With Developmental Disabilities: Effective Psychiatric Monitoring Based on a Fundamental Assessment

A case is presented of a 39-year-old man with moderate mental retardation & psychiatric disorders who exhibited suicidal threats & behaviours. A functional assessment showed that these behaviours were socially mediated operant behaviours in a person with poor impulse control. A psychiatric monitoring procedure involved asking for a no harm agreement following suicidal episodes, social isolation when a no harm agreement was not reached, & release from isolation contigent upon a no harm agreement.