Suicide assessment and management self-test: How do you score?

Bottom Line
Fully commit time and effort to the ongoing assessment, treatment, and management of patients at suicide risk. Suicide risk assessment is a process, not an event. Conduct a suicide risk assessment at important clinical junctures (eg, initial evaluation, discharge, changing observation levels). Contemporaneously, document suicide risk assessments. This self-assessment helps clinicians gauge their strengths and identify skills that need further development.

Disclosure
Dr. Simon reports no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.

Dr. Simon is the co-editor of The American Psychiatry Publishing textbook of Suicide Assessment and Management, 2nd edition, from which this article is adapted, by permission of the publisher, American Psychiatry Publishing, Inc. ©2012.