Forensic Psychology Expert Evaluates Patient Suicide at Inpatient Drug Treatment Center

Case Overview

This case involves the suicide of a female at an inpatient drug treatment center in Arizona, where she had been sent to recover from an opioid addiction. She was housed in a private room that had an exposed water pipe. According to other patients who were interviewed after her suicide, she spent most of her time alone in her room, despite the facility’s Service Agreement that stipulated that patients vacate their rooms several hours per day for housekeeping. The patient hung herself with her own belt, which she was allowed to keep upon admission, from the exposed pipe.

Questions to the Psychology expert and their responses

Do you have the experience and expertise to review this case and determine what mistakes, if any, were made in the care and treatment of the patient?

I possess the experience and expertise to review all the available data and offer a professional opinion regarding the care and treatment afforded this patient. For 25+ years I have developed, critiqued and executed policies and procedures related to treating such patients, ensuring a healthy and productive milieu for personal recovery.

Are you familiar with the proper steps in caring for and monitoring patients with similar symptoms?

As the director of two narcotic treatment program locations, I spend a significant amount of time dealing with the realities of opiate dependence.

Have you every lectured or been published on the topic of suicidal depression complicated by opioid addiction?

I have actively engaged with many who verbalize or are clinically deemed to have inclinations towards self-harm, and have successfully avoided patient suicides under my immediate care.

About the expert

This highly-qualified expert has been clinically active in the field of Psychology for more than 20 years. He earned his BA in Forensic and Clinical Psychology and his MHA in Health and Business Administration from Wilkes University. He is certified in several modes of therapy, including Trauma, Rational-Emotional Behavioral and Drug/Alcohol Cessation. Throughout his career, he has served as a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist at a number of facilities and has been the Program Director in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He also has extensive experience with corrections facilities. Currently, he is a Drug and Alcohol Therapy Consultant, an Adjunct Professor of Corrections and Correctional Counseling and a Program and Clinical Director for a Substance Abuse Treatment Center. In addition, he has been operating his own Forensic Psychology Consulting business for over 20 years, which has given him a wealth of experience with medicolegal evaluations and case reviews.

E-009435

Specialties:

Psychology