SADPERSONS scale - suicide risk and how to assess ? PDF

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Great notes on assessing the suicide risk and very useful to learn how to assess suicide risk. Summarized assessing suicide risk....

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SuicideAssessment SADPERSONS Prediction of suicide is never easy. However, there are known risk factors, and cumulativelytheymayofferabetteraccuracyofpredictionforsuicidalrisk.Onemethod goesundertheacronymSADPERSONS.ItwasoriginallydescribedbyPattersonetal (1)andhasbeenreviewedbyJuhnke(2).Juhnkealsoadaptedthescaleforkids(3). S:Sex.Menaremorelikelytocommitsuicidethanwomen.Maleskillthemselvesabout fourtimesmoreoften,althoughfemalesmakefarmoreattempts. A:Age.Theageswhicharemostdangerousforsuicidevaryovertime.Youshould consultcurrentstatistics.Asthisisbeingwrittenin2006individuals1524havean elevatedrisk.Suicideisthethirdleadingcauseofdeathinthisagegroup.However, estimatesexistwhichsuggestthatpeoplethisagemakingattemptsoutnumberactual suicidesbyaratioof100400times. Malesoverage75arealsoknowntobeathighrisk.Currentdemographicssuggest thatwomeninthe4554agegrouparehighest,butfemalesinolderoryoungerage rangesarenotthatdifferent.Afterage65individualsasawholehaveanattemptto completedsuiciderateofabout2:1.Uptoage65,itisabouta7:1ratio. D:Depression.Thesuiciderateforthosewhoareclinicallydepressedisabout20times greaterthanforthegeneralpopulation.Hopelessnessisoneaspectofdepressionthat hasaclosetietosuicide.Thesetwoissues,depression andhopelessness,arethe strongestpredictorsofwishesforahasteneddeath.

P:PriorHistory.Roughly80%ofcompletedsuicideswereprecededbyapriorattempt. E:Ethanolabuse.Alcoholand/ordrugabuseincreaserisk. R:Rationalthinkingloss. Psychosis(‘IheardavoicesayingIshouldkillmyself’) increasesrisk.Someestimatessuggestthat2040%ofschizophrenicsmakean attemptatsomepoint,andtheriskishighestearlyonintheillness. S:SupportSystemLoss. Lossofsupportcanvarytremendously.Withkidsand adolescentsitcanbethebreakupoftheirfirst‘puppylove’whichtheycantake veryseriouslyeventhoughotherslikeparentsmayviewitasatrivialevent. Otherlost relationshipsforadolescentscanincludeparentsdivorcingandremarryingsomeone else.Evenaparentwhoisdivorcedorseparatedandlivingwithanewpersoncanbea triggerforadolescentsuicide.Thedeathofarelative,suchasgrandparents,canbe anothertriggerforkids.

Lossofaspousecanbedevastatingtosome.Lossofaparentwithinthepast35years increasesriskofsuicide.Amongolderindividuals,menwhoarewidowed,and womenwhoaredivorcedorseparatedareatincreasedrisk O:OrganizedPlan. Thisspeaksforitself.Havingamethodinmindcreatesmorerisk. N:NoSignificantOther. See‘S’above. S:Sickness.Terminalillness,suchascancerandAIDS,alsocarrieswithita20fold increaseinriskofsuicidecomparedtothegeneralpopulation. ScoringSystem 1pointforeachpositiveanswerontheabove. Score 02 34 56 710

Risk Norealproblems,keepwatch Sendhome,butcheckfrequently Consider hospitalization involuntary or voluntary, depending on your level of assurancepatientwithreturnforanothersession definitelyhospitalizeinvoluntarilyorvoluntarily

References 1) Patterson,W,Dohn,H,Bird,J,Patterson,G. Psychsomatics,1983,24,343349 2) Juhnke, G.E. “SAD PERSONS scale review.” Measurement & Evaluation in Counseling&Development,1994, 27,325328 3) Juhnke, G.E. (“Theadapted SAD PERSONS: Asassessment scale designed for use withchildren”ElementarySchoolGuidance&Counesling,1996,252258...