Psychiatrists are feeling the chilling effects of increased malpractice liability. Today's changing health care marketplace-exacerbated by the escalating conflict between patient advocacy and cost-cutting policies inherent in managed care-leaves psychiatrists more vulnerable to lawsuits while also undermining their relationships with their patients. This third edition of the "Concise Guide to Psychiatry and Law for Clinicians" equips psychiatrists, psychiatric residents, and other mental health care professionals with a thorough overview of the clinical management of legal issues in psychiatry. Its author, a recognized forensic educator and practicing psychiatrist, encourages psychiatrists to transform the law from adversary to working partner-a partnership that can be turned to clinical account for the benefit of patients. Beginning with an overview of clinical psychiatry and the law, this pocket guide covers every essential aspect of how law affects the practice of psychiatry today: the doctor-patient relationship, confidentiality and testimonial privilege, informed consent and the right to refuse treatment, psychiatric treatment, seclusion and restraint, involuntary hospitalization, the suicidal patient, the potentially violent patient, and therapist-patient sex. Clinicians will find this wealth of knowledge immediately practical and reassuring, psychiatric residents will find it invaluable as preparation for the real world, and lawyers will appreciate its in-depth treatment of complex psychiatric issues. With its glossary of legal terms, case studies, and detailed charts, this clear, authoritative guide reminds us afresh why it deserves its place among the top legalreferences for mental health professionals.

Updates to this edition: * Clinical and legal issues in the use of clozapine in treatment of schizophrenia* Clinical information and new cases involving tardive dyskinesia* Changes in civil and criminal law regarding right to refuse treatment* An update of clinical guidelines and legal regulations of ECT* An update on suicide risk assessment and new legal cases involving suicide* An update on violence risk assessment and new legal cases involving the duty to protect endangered third parties* New statutes and criminal sanctions regarding sexual misconduct * New statutes limiting the liability of therapists toward third parties who are injured or killed by patients* Changes in the relationship between psychiatrists and nonmedical therapists* Regulatory developments regarding physician impairment* Numerous tables and an updated glossary of legal terms* New section on common terms and abbreviations in legal citations

What are the facts about psychiatric malpractice? Is it increasing? If so, how rapidly? What areas of psychiatric practice pose higher risks of legal liability? The anxieties and uncertainties created by the increased threat of being sued for malpractice can interfere with the psychiatrist's provision of good clinical care. Through a general overview -- as well as a discussion of specific legal cases -- this volume presents the major malpractice traps encountered in everyday psychiatric practice.

In this accessible, practical, and comprehensive guide, clinicians will find a wealth of practical knowledge, and lawyers will appreciate its in-depth treatment of complex psychiatric issues. It includes extensive references and a glossary of legal terms. This book replaces "Concise Guide to Psychiatry and Law for Clinicians, 3rd. Ed."

Once upon a time only forensic psychiatrists had much to do with law and the legal system. Now, hardly a day passes in the life of a clinician without some significant encounter with the interface between the law and the practice of psychiatry. That interface extends all the way from the general regulation of clinical practice to the specifics of clinical man agement of individual patients. It includes, like the chapters of this book, such important topics as informed consent, right to treatment, privilege and confidentiality, patients' rights, competency, psychiatric testimony, malpractice, and liability. Dr. Halleck is one of the professions' most distinguished thinkers and authors in the field of psychiatry and law, and is this year's recipient of the coveted Isaac Ray Award of the American Psychiatric Association. Having spent his entire academic and professional life deeply involved in the clinical practice of psychiatry, he is particularly well suited to understand and respond to the clinician's need for a clear and concise elucidation of those areas of psychiatry and law which are involved in the daily work of psychiatrists and all mental health professionals.

Covering the major psychiatric disorders encountered in consultation psychiatry, this text discusses when a psychiatric consultation is necessary, how to approach a patient in a medical setting and what qualities contribute to an effective consultant.

It focuses on computer applications relevant to clinical psychiatric practice, including all the new tools for assimilating and managing the requisite knowledge, facilitating the required documentation, and providing clinical service.

Thoroughly updated for its Fourth Edition, this award-winning handbook gives mental health professionals authoritative guidance on how the law affects their clinical practice. Each chapter presents case examples of legal issues that arise in practice, clearly explains the governing legal rules, their rationale, and their clinical impact, and offers concrete action guides to navigating clinico-legal dilemmas. This edition addresses crucial recent developments including new federal rules protecting patients' privacy, regulations minimizing use of seclusion and restraint, liability risks associated with newer psychiatric medications, malpractice risks in forensic psychiatry, and new structured assessment tools for violence risk, suicidality, and decisional capacity.