Malpractice and Liability in Psychiatry [electronic resource] / edited by Peter Ash, Richard L. Frierson, Susan Hatters Friedman.

Section I: Malpractice Law -- Principles of Malpractice Law in Psychiatry -- History of Malpractice -- Liability of the Acts of Others -- Professional Liability Insurance -- Section II: Litigation -- Risk Management after an Adverse Event -- The Litigation Process -- Do's and Dont's if You Are Sued -- The Plaintiff Attorney's Perspective -- The Defense Attorney's Perspective -- Expert Witness -- The Defendant Psychiatrist as Witness -- The Stress of Being Sued -- Section III: Malpractice Allegations -- Suicide -- Patient Violence -- Boundary Violations -- Breach of Confidentiality -- Negligent Psychopharmacology -- Abandonment and Unnecessary Commitment -- Negligent Psychotherapy -- Section VI: Practice Areas -- Inpatient General Psychiatry -- Outpatient General Psychiatry -- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry -- Consult Liaison Psychiatry -- Emergency Room Psychiatry -- Reproductive Psychiatry -- Addition Psychiatry -- Geriatric Psychiatry -- Correctional Psychiatry -- Forensic Psychiatry -- Psychiatric Research -- Section V: Special Topics -- Telepsychiatry -- Malpractice and the Internet -- Patients and Guns -- Practicing During a Pandemic or Disaster -- Section VI: Complaints -- Medical Board Complaints -- Ethics Complaints -- Granting Agencies -- Negative Reviews on the Internet -- Impaired Psychiatrists.

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.