Managed Crisis Care for Suicidal Patients (IN: Treatment of Suicidal Patients in Managed Care, ed. by J M Ellison)

In this chapter, the authors explore the provision of crisis assessments & care for suicidal patients in a managed care practice. They underscore the importance of easily available, barrier-free access to assessments & care for such patients to ascertain the danger of self-harm & to clarify the appropriate level & locus of treatment required. They review the difficulties inherent in assessing the repeatedly self-harming patient with personality disorder, & outline an approach to helping the suicidal patient in crisis by making use of cognitive-behavioural strategies & dialectic behaviour therapy. (32 refs)