Health
Clinical updates: Assessment and management of suicidal ideation in adults
Key Points
What you need to knowSuicidal ideation is defined as thoughts, considerations, or plans surrounding suicidePsychiatric diagnoses, younger and older age, female sex, physical disabilities, and marginalised status are risk factorsNo clinical guidelines suggest universal screening for suicidal ideation; however screening at-risk populations is recommendedCognitive behavioural therapy shows the strongest evidence for treatment of suicidal ideationSuicidal ideation is highly prevalent across...
What you need to knowSuicidal ideation is defined as thoughts, considerations, or plans surrounding suicidePsychiatric diagnoses, younger and older age, female sex, physical disabilities, and marginalised status are risk factorsNo clinical guidelines suggest universal screening for suicidal ideation; however screening at-risk populations is recommendedCognitive behavioural therapy shows the strongest evidence for treatment of suicidal ideationSuicidal ideation is highly prevalent across healthcare settings, yet most clinicians report inadequate training for its assessment and management. A systematic review including 41 studies from 15 countries reported that 87% of general practitioners, 73% of psychiatrists, and 51% of all health professionals will encounter at least one patient suicide in their career.1 Despite this, a cross-sectional study among 208 European GPs in 2018 found that only 35% were comfortable assessing suicide risk2 and just 53% had received previous training in suicide prevention, including detection and treatment using evidence based strategies.2Compared with patients who are depressed...