title: Suicide assessment: a clinical model.
abstract: One of the most critical and ill-defined areas of the physican's practice is the evaluation of suicidal intent, particularly of the patient who has made no previous such attempts. Making the problem more complex is the attitude of the physician toward the self-destroyer, as determined by his/her upbringing and training. This article first confronts the issue of how the attitude of the physician can and does affect the potentially suicidal patient. Secondly, a conceptual model for a suicide evaluation is presented. This model has been designed for flexibility and practicality in order to help ensure that a complete evaluation can be done within the requirements and necessities of the practicing physician.
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012306:Risk; D000092864:Suicide Prevention