%0 Journal Article %T Welfare checks for suicide risk management: risks and benefits %J Journal of Psychiatric Practice %D 2019 %A Wortzel, Hal S. %A Barnes, Sean M. %A Cannizzaro, Kaily A. %A Villarreal, Edgar J. %A Allen, Michael H. %A Matarazzo, Bridget B. %V 25 %N 5 %P 379-382 %X In clinical practice, welfare checks have become a fairly common aspect of suicide prevention. At the same time, there is almost no guidance in the medical literature to inform clinicians under what circumstances welfare checks should be requested, how best to go about placing those requests, or how to document decision-making around this important subject. Literature searches spanning both PubMed and Google Scholar fail to yield any applicable results. Performed correctly, welfare checks have the potential to be life-saving interventions for persons in suicidal crises. Performed incorrectly, the welfare check may become an overly defensive practice that damages therapeutic relationships, violates patients' rights, and consumes important and limited community resources. The need for thoughtful guidance to assist clinicians in navigating these difficult clinical scenarios is long overdue. This article, the first in a 2-part series, will describe welfare checks and explore their potential risks and benefits.

Language: en

%G en %I Lippincott Williams and Wilkins %@ 1527-4160 %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PRA.0000000000000419