Suicide: Warning Signs

Among the greatest challenges faced by clinicians in assessing risk for suicide is determining when their patients are most actively suicidal: not only when a patient is experiencing some level of suicidal thinking but also when the patient is experiencing significant suicidal intent or resolves to act on his or her ideation. Some patients possess ideation for months, if not years, without ever engaging in suicidal behavior. Many who do go on to make suicide attempts experience long periods of suicidal ideation uninterrupted by suicidal behavior.

Furthermore, there was recognition in the field that the list of variables considered risk factors for suicide was unwieldy and largely unhelpful in identifying individuals with significant intent to engage in suicidal behavior in the short term. For example, ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles