Good decision making in mental health care

If you or someone you know receives mental health care do you feel confident in the services being provided? Or are you left with question or concerns? Mental health awareness and treatment has grown into a global priority. One in five experience mental illness in their lifetime, and those who suffer are coming forward in unprecedented numbers. As more people seek care, we must also reflect on whether providers are meeting demands through existing systems and mental health care approaches.

In their book, Managing Uncertainty in Mental Health Care, Drs. Patricia Rockman and José Silveira critically examine core assumptions informing the primary approaches currently used to assess mental illness in clinical settings, with an emphasis on clinician certainty. They illustrate how current diagnostic frameworks relate to clinician decision making and if overconfidence may lead to errors in judgment.  Silveira and Rockman consider potential strategies for lessening the impact of possible errors.

This book reflects on the possibility of errors in clinical judgment, independent of competence and experience, and the need to apply mental health practices that address the needs of the client.

Rockman and Silveira address the issue of clinical error and provide a novel perspective in the application of reducing harm in practice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE AUTHORS -

Patricia Rockman Monday, CCFP, FCFP is a physician with a focused practice in mental health.  She is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Family and Community Medicine cross appointed to Psychiatry. Patricia Rockman is a co-author of a number of books on mindfulness-based programs. She is a trained Yoga teacher and has been teaching about stress, psychotherapy, mindfulness, change management and other mental health issues for over thirty-five years.

José Maria Alves da Silveira B.Sc., M.D., FRCPC, DABAM

Dr. José Silveira is currently an Associate Medical Director with the Ontario Medical Association Physician Health Program.  He is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Psychiatry and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Silveira is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto in Canada.  His academic promotion recognized his Creative Professional Activity and its positive impact on aiding clinicians across multiple disciplines in managin