Suicide Prevention
Risk Assessment
To assess risk in a primary care setting, your goal is to determine if the situation is an emergency – in other words, is the patient at imminent risk of suicide?
Suicide Risk Factors:
1. Suicidal Ideation
- How frequent and intense are the patient’s suicidal thoughts?
- Does the patient have a suicide plan (e.g., a specific method or time/place)?
- Have they rehearsed their plan?
- Does the patient have access to lethal means?
- Does the patient have a history of depression or suicidal ideation?
2. Emotional State
- What events in the patient’s life are contributing to these feelings?
- Are there any strong, negative emotions that are affecting the patient’s thoughts or behavior?
- Are there any events in the near future that may make these feelings worse and possib drive him or her to hurt themselves?
3. Other Risk Factors
- Does the patient’s family have a history of depression or suicide?
- Has the patient been acting impulsively or engaging in dangerous behaviors, like drinking or taking drugs?
4. Coping Mechanisms
- When the patient has these feelings, what do they do to feel better?
- Does the patient have anyone to talk to about these feelings?
Many states require clinicians to notify a parent or guardian if any suicide risk is detected, so know the laws in your state and the rules at your workplace. Even if it’s not mandated, bringing in parents or guardians should always be considered when deciding next steps.