Suicide Malpractice Lawsuit

How to bring a lawsuit as a result of suicide

It may be necessary to pursue a malpractice lawsuit if the healthcare provider was negligent and a suicide occurred. While a family may be reluctant to pursue a suicide malpractice lawsuit, taking legal action may be the best way to hold a negligent provider accountable. Your actions may also help to save the lives of others experiencing the same suffering.

A psychiatrist or a psychologist may be negligent for failing to properly assess the patient's suicide risk. The following are factors that may be precursor to a malpractice lawsuit:

Failure to learn about and document prior suicide attempts or feelings of hopelessness and anxiety.
Failing to take into account input from the patient's family.
Failing to take into account the patient's behavior prior to discharge from the hospital.
Failing to properly assess a patient for suicide.
Failing to protect a patient from suicide.

Healthcare provider's duty to protect the patient

Suicide is difficult to predict, but prediction is never the issue. Foreseeability is the issue. Psychiatrists have a duty to protect a patient by properly assessing the suicide risk. Reasonable precautions, such as appropriate frequent monitoring of the patient, need to be taken after the risk is identified.

A doctor should document signs of improvement before discharging the patient. Too often, patients are discharged simply because their insurance no longer pays for their care.

For more information about malpractice lawsuits related to suicides of patients, please visit the following pages:

Contact a lawyer today

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