Crisis and Acute Care in Mental Health Essay

Introduction

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate an understanding on the nature of risk and risk assessment in relation to suicide. There are a number of risk assessments used within the field of mental health, but for this assignment we will focus specifically on evaluating the actuarial and clinical approaches when assessing suicidal clients. To conclude it will explore some of the challenges that nurse faces when assessing suicidal clients in crisis and acute care settings.

It is well established that people who have mental health problems are a high risk group for suicide (The National Suicide Strategy for England 2006). Primarily these are people who have experienced depression, alcohol disorders, abuse, violence, loss, cultural and social background (WHO, 2011). Suicide is recognized as a serious and global public health problem. It is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally for all ages. It has been identified that a significant number of suicides occurred during a period of in patient care (Bertolote et al, 2003). Crisis and Acute Care in Mental Health Essay Paper