Suicide prevention contract

Assessment | Biopsychology | Comparative | Cognitive | Developmental | Language | Individual differences | Personality | Philosophy | Social |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |

Clinical: Approaches · Group therapy · Techniques · Types of problem · Areas of specialism · Taxonomies · Therapeutic issues · Modes of delivery · Model translation project · Personal experiences ·

---

Suicide Clinical aspects Suicide crisis Assessment of suicide risk Intervention | Prevention Crisis hotline | Suicide watch Suicide and mental health Attempted suicide Related phenomena Parasuicide | Self-harm Suicidal ideation | Suicide note Types of suicide Suicide by method Altruistic suicide Assisted suicide | Copycat suicide Cult suicide | Euthanasia Forced suicide| Internet suicide Mass suicide | Murder-suicide Ritual suicide | Suicide attack Suicide pact | Teenage suicide Jail suicide | Copycat suicide Further aspects Suicide and gender Suicide and occupation Suicide crisis intervention Suicide prevention centres Suicide and clinical training Views on suicide History of suicide Medical | Cultural Legal | Philosophical Religious | Right to die

A suicide prevention contract is a contract that contains an agreement not to commit suicide. It is often used by medical professionals dealing with depressive clients. Typically, the client will be asked to agree to talk with the professional prior to carrying out any decision to commit suicide. Suicide prevention contracts have been described as a "widely used but overvalued clinical and risk-management technique." Indeed, it has been argued that such contracts "may in fact increase danger by providing psychiatrists with a false sense of security, thus decreasing their clinical vigilance." It has also been argued that such contracts can anger or inhibit the client and introduce coercion into therapy.

See also

• Psychological contract
• Suicide pact
• Suicide prevention
• Therapeutic contract