Screening and Assessment

This card assists clinicians in conducting a suicide assessment using a five-step evaluation and triage plan to identify risk factors and protective factors, conduct a suicide inquiry, determine risk level and potential interventions, and document a treatment plan.

This report reviews evidence about suicide risk factors and suicide risk assessment tools to inform practice guidelines for clinicians serving veterans and military populations. However, much of the information is also applicable to the general adult population.

A fill-in-the-blank template for developing a safety plan with a patient who is at increased risk for a suicide attempt.

This free, online training from the New York State Office of Mental Health and Columbia University provides an overview of the instrument and teaches how and when to administer it in real-world settings.

Three versions of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale are available for use in clinical practice. The Lifetime/Recent version allows practitioners to gather lifetime history of suicidality as well as any recent suicidal ideation and/or behavior.

The PHQ-9 is used to diagnose and monitor the severity of depression. Question 9 screens for the presence and duration of suicide ideation.

These comprehensive guidelines outline a framework for structured assessment of adults suspected to be at risk of suicide and the immediate and long-term management and treatment that should follow if an individual is found to be at risk.

This publication from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center discusses the difference between screening & assessment, introduces two approaches to evaluating suicide risk, and provides links to resources that offer additional guidance on choosing and implementing suicide screening and assessm