A basic review of psychiatric medical malpractice law in the United States

[...]defenses to malpractice claims are reviewed.2 Background According to a study conducted by researchers at Harvard University, in excess of 20 times more people in New York are injured by physicians of all specialties than those who file malpractice suits [1]. The setting in which suicide occurs has significant bearing on whether legal action is taken against the psychiatrist. Because a psychiatrist is considered to have much more control over a patient's dangerous behavior in an inpatient setting than in an outpatient setting, inpatient suicides are much more likely to result in a medical malpractice suit than outpatient suicides are.