Suicide on the PRMS Blog

As an “Army brat,” holidays showing appreciation for our military – active, former, and deceased – are of particular significance to me. This Memorial Day weekend is more than the official start to summer – it’s a time to honor all who bravely fought or are fighting for our freedom. This certainly includes those whose lives have been lost, whether by the hands of others, or by ...

Having defended cases brought against our insured psychiatrists since the 1986, we know that patient suicide/attempted suicide is one of the top two allegations brought against psychiatrists in medical malpractice cases, the other being medication-related issues. We also know that assessing for suicide risk is critical to understanding the patient’s condition and developing an ...

This week’s MMWR from the CDC addresses suicide trends among persons aged 10-24 years from 1994-2012. The study’s findings include: • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds in the US • There were 5,178 suicides in this age group in 2012 • The three most common methods are firearm, suffocation (including hanging), and poisoning (including drug overdos ...

Most weeks there are a few interesting news items that spark an idea for the weekly posting – but this week there’s a superabundance of material in a supplement to the Journal of Adolescent Health’s July edition. The supplement focuses on the manifold aspects of bullying on the health of the bullied, the bullying and those who witness it. Societal attitudes towards bullying hav ...

As Martin pointed out in his blog last week, suicide is one of the two most common events leading to litigation against psychiatrists, the other being related to psychopharmacology.  PRMS has since 1986, handled thousands of events, claims, and lawsuits involving a patient suicide or suicide attempt.  From all of those cases, there are many lessons learned, including the follow ...

For over 20 years, NAMI has deemed a week in October as Mental Illness Awareness Week. This year, it began October 7 and ends this weekend. I feel somewhat foolish highlighting this to the specialists who are at the forefront of dealing with the mentally ill and their families. Still, I would urge psychiatrists to check out NAMI’s website for some ideas about making sure that n ...

Suicide is the precipitating factor in a large percentage of claims and suits filed against psychiatrists, regardless of where they work or where they purchase insurance.   When you provide several thousand psychiatrists with professional liability insurance, the aftermath of suicide becomes part of your professional life.  Most Americans, however, do not have familiarity with ...