A suicidal ideation scale is a clinical tool used to assess a person’s risk of committing suicide. By helping healthcare providers recognize signs that someone is likely to self-injure, the scale aids in timely intervention and treatment.
Suicidal ideation scales include questions about a person’s thoughts, attitudes, and desire to commit suicide. Examples include:
- Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI)
- Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
- Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation and Triage (SAFE-T)
- Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9)
In order to screen for suicidal ideation, healthcare providers may use one or more of these scales in addition to performing a physical examination to look for signs of self-harm or underlying medical conditions. They will also take a detailed medical history that includes the person’s sleeping pattern, appetite, and any medications they are on.
What are types of suicidal ideation?
Suicidal ideation refers to someone wanting to take their own life or thinking about doing so. The affected may be so preoccupied with thoughts of death that it interferes with their day-to-day life. There are two broad types: active and passive.
- Active suicidal ideation: The person keeps thinking about dying and even plans how to commit suicide.
- Passive suicidal ideation: The person wants to die but doesn’t make a plan to commit suicide.
Suicidal ideation is a broad term that includes various thoughts and behavior that are self-injurious, whether suicidal or not:
- Suicidal thoughts: Thoughts of killing oneself
- Suicidal threat: Thoughts of killing oneself that are verbalized to others
- Suicide attempt: Behavior that is intended to kill oneself but doesn’t result in death
- Nonsuicidal self-injury: Directly and intentionally hurting oneself without the intention of suicide
How prevalent is suicide?
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death in people between the ages of 10-34. The gravity of the situation can be seen in the fact that every 11 minutes one person loses their life to suicide.
Furthermore, many cases of suicide worldwide are not even reported due to stigma, religious beliefs, and other concerns. Hence, the actual picture may be even grimmer than what is visible on the surface.
Can suicidal ideation be treated?
Suicidal ideation can be effectively treated with professional help. The first step is recognizing that a problem exists and seeking help. Treatment of suicidal ideation mainly consists of the following:
- Psychotherapy
- Medications such as antidepressants
- Treatment of underlying health conditions such as chronic pain or addiction to alcohol or drugs
- Emotional support from friends and family
Suicidal ideation, like other mental health conditions, needs the involvement of family and friends to help a person recover. Severe cases may need hospitalization, and long-term follow-ups may also be needed to ensure that suicidal tendencies do not affect the person again
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/suicidal-ideation-and-behavior-in-adults
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2013085-overview
Top What Is a Suicidal Ideation Scale Related Articles
clozapine
Clozapine is a second generation atypical antipsychotic medication used for treatment-resistant schizophrenia and to reduce the risk of suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia. Clozapine is associated with heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) and inflammation (myocarditis). Common side effects of clozapine include sedation, drowsiness (somnolence), dizziness, vertigo, tremor, headache, visual disturbances, insomnia, EEG pattern changes, rapid heart rate (tachycardia), low blood pressure (hypotension), fainting (syncope), excessive salivation (hypersalivation), and others. Consult your doctor if pregnant or breastfeeding.
Depression
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
Depression and Suicide
Depression is a psychiatric illness that affects one in six people in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of people with depression do not realize that they have a treatable illness and do not seek treatment. Depression could happen when there is a decrease in the functional balance of the brain chemicals e.g., serotonin and norepinephrine.
Learn to Spot Depression: Symptoms, Warning Signs, Medication
Know when you or someone else is depressed. Get information on depression symptoms, signs, tests, and treatments for many types of depression chronic depression and postpartum depression.How to Recognize Symptoms of Suicidal Behavior
People who contemplate suicide see it as a solution to run away from the problems that seem never-ending to them. If they get help in the form of counseling and emotional support at an earlier stage, they can be saved. Some of their words and actions can give you clues if they are at risk of hurting themselves.levetiracetam antiepileptic
Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic drug used to treat seizures in adults and children with epilepsy. Common side effects of levetiracetam include headache, increased blood pressure, drowsiness (somnolence), fatigue, weakness (asthenia), dizziness, infection, loss of appetite (anorexia), inflammation of nose and throat (nasopharyngitis), cough, hostility, nervousness, anxiety, and depression. Consult your doctor before taking levetiracetam if pregnant or breastfeeding.
Self-Injury and Cutting
Self-injury and cutting are deliberate acts of harming the body due to various reasons. It may not be limited to suicidal attempts in most cases. It is done to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration.
Suicide
Suicide is the process of intentionally ending one's own life. Approximately 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and 10 million to 20 million attempt suicide annually.
Depression Therapy Myths
False ideas scare many depression suffers away from therapy and the quick relief and help these pros can provide. Let our experts help you understand the truth about therapy.