Hey everyone, I was reading about a case where they failed to diagnose and treat a patient and it unfortunately ended in suicide, so it got me thinking, what are some ways that psychologists and psychotherapists assess patients in terms of suicide risk?
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That's a very good question. There are a number of factors and aspects to those evaluations. I am attaching a document which gives a good summary and overview of the evaluation and factors to consider. I encourage anyone who is interested in this subject to read over it as there is some good information there. As far as many of the factors we consider, some of them are listed in this article and are as follows: "Factors that may increase a person’s risk for suicide include:
• Current ideation, intent, plan, access to means
• Previous suicide attempt or attempts
• Alcohol / Substance abuse
• Current or previous history of psychiatric diagnosis
• Impulsivity and poor self control
• Hopelessness – presence, duration, severity
• Recent losses – physical, financial, personal
• Recent discharge from an inpatient psychiatric unit
• Family history of suicide
• History of abuse (physical, sexual or emotional)
• Co-morbid health problems, especially a newly diagnosed problem or worsening symptoms
• Age, gender, race (elderly or young adult, unmarried, white, male, living alone)
• Same- sex sexual orientation
Factors that may decrease the risk for suicide are also called protective factors. These include:
• Positive social support
• Spirituality
• Sense of responsibility to family
• Children in the home, pregnancy
• Life satisfaction
• Reality testing ability
• Positive coping skills
• Positive problem-solving skills
• Positive therapeutic relationship Warning signs are also described in that document. Psychologists often administer psychological tests which may assist in this process. Those include tests like the Beck Hopelessness Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Personality Assessment Inventory.