No-Suicide Contracts

Suicide among Veterans continues to be an issue of great importance and one of which different aspects of treatment are involved. One treatment is "contracting for safety" which is a contract between a patient and clinician or nurse. No-harm or no-suicide contracts have been widely used by many mental health care providers. The purpose of these contracts is for a patient to agree not to harm him/herself or attempt suicide, and seek help when thoughts may lead to breaking that contract. Although known by many names, the idea of having a patient "contract for safety" through a verbal or written agreement can be less effective and possibly, do more harm than good.