Psychiatric Emergencies: Assessing and Managing Suicidal Ideation

The assessment of suicide risk is a daunting, but increasingly frequent task for outpatient practitioners. Guidelines for depression screening identify more individuals at risk for treatment and mental health resources are not always easily accessible. For those patients identified as in need of a formal suicide risk assessment, this article reviews established risk and protective factors for suicide and provides a framework for the assessment and management of individuals at risk of suicide. The assessment should be explicitly documented with a summary of the most relevant risk/protective factors for that individual with a focus on interventions that may mitigate risk.