Behavioral Emergencies

In virtually every mental health clinician's career, a situation arises that requires immediate response: A client or patient who is suicidal, potentially violent, and/or at risk of being victimized. In such a situation - considered a behavioral emergency - the clinician may have little or no time to consult resources before responding.In this book, Phillip M. Kleespies and his colleagues provide clinicians with critical, evidence-based approaches for the evaluation and management of behavioral emergencies. This book makes clear the distinction between a behavioral crisis, which is a serious disruption of functioning that does not necessarily imply danger, and a behavioral emergency. Guidance on behavioral emergencies is drawn from both clinical experience and empirical evidence, and the book's structure functions as a curriculum for educating both new and seasoned clinicians. Unique to this book are chapters on violence and suicide risk among adolescents, as well as individuals who are chronically ill. Contributors also discuss the legal and psychological risks associated with treating behavioral emergencies.
Comprehensive in scope, this book provides a solid knowledge base that will be an invaluable resource for all clinicians.