Abstract
This is a very interesting book, which captures the practical clinical aspects of suicide assessment within a frame of confident, nurturing and caring interactions between clinician and patient. It has three parts: the first is the experience of suicide, aetiology, phenomenology and risk factors. This is demonstrated through the exploration of the personal perceptions of public figures who have suicided as well as the literature around the risk factors.
The second part is the process of uncovering suicidal ideation: principles, techniques and strategies. The text clearly demonstrations the specific techniques via case material and actual interviews. One of the most impressive parts of this chapter is the exploration of the clinician's feelings about suicide as well as some comments about clinicians who feel suicidal themselves and their capacity for the work. How to elicit the material required for effective decision-making and action-planning is well developed in this section. Also offered is a set of guidelines which can be used in any situation, are easily remembered, and do not require note-taking during the interview, leaving the clinician free to observe and engage with the patient.
The third part is the formulation process that also takes into account the known client, unknown client, the client with mature defences, as well as those with character disorders, and the matrix this can form.
There is an appendix, which includes how to document a suicide assessment in a quick and thorough manner so it forms a useful document for any clinician who might see the client in the future and is also medico-legally sound. Another part of the index discusses safety contracting and how and when it has any validity. The final part of the appendix is a useful set of web sites for clinicians, clients and families.
This text is useful for the clinician assessing the patient in emergency situations as well as in the context of an ongoing therapy relationship.