title: No-harm contracts: a review of what we know.
abstract: Few events in the practice of a mental health clinician can be as devastating as the suicide of a client. Although suicide is a rare occurrence, clinicians face assessment of clients' risk for harming themselves on a regular basis. One well-accepted and widely practiced intervention for suicidal ideation is the use of no-harm contracts (NHC), although opinions about NHCs range from enthusiasm to apathy. The existing research does not support the use of such contracts as a method for preventing suicide, nor for protecting clinicians from malpractice litigation in the event of a client suicide.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Social Work, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176, USA. lislewis@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Lisa McConnell
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D032982:Contracts / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention