This comprehensive guide covers the standards of care in psychiatry, The psychiatrist-patient relationship, informed consent, And The duties owed the patient. Using case analysis, The author details the actions that constitute a breach of the standards of care and why parameters on these standards have proven hard to establish.

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.

The true story of the malpractice trial of Sara Charles, a Chicago psychiatrist, who was sued for $10 million by a patient whose failed suicide attempt left her crippled.

With a wealth of examples, he explains the role of psychiatrists as expert witnesses against each other, the difficulties of predicting the outcomes of these suits, and the balances psychiatrists and judges have to strike between the duties owed to patients, on the one hand, and to society on the other.

This book comprehensively educates psychiatrists about malpractice and other liability. It is written to also specifically assist psychiatrists who are sued or are involved in other complaints. The first two sections discuss malpractice law and the litigation process; the litigation section mainly addresses some of the more emotionally charged issues, including do’s and don’ts, how an attorney will be looking at the case, the defendant doctor’s testifying at deposition and trial, and the stress of being sued. The subsequent three sections address specific topics that give rise to liability, with each section taking a different perspective such as risks in particular clinical, by practice site, and special issues, including practice in special situations such as the current pandemic. The final section discusses other forms of liability, such as complaints to medical boards or professional association ethics committees. An exceptional work, Malpractice and Liability in Psychiatry, functions as both a go-to handbook and all-encompassing read on the aforementioned topics.