Suicidal Ideation Scale

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 4.3% of U.S. adults ages 18 and older had thoughts about suicide, with the highest prevalence among adults ages 18 to 25. For people with mental health disorders, the rate is significantly higher. A suicidal ideation scale is a clinical tool used to assess a person’s risk of committing suicide. By helping healthcare providers recognize signs that someone is likely to self-injure, the scale aids in timely intervention and treatment.

 If you are having active suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

What Is Suicidal Ideation?

You may have heard suicidal ideation referred to as “suicidal thoughts.” Not everyone with suicidal ideation acts on it. But if you or a loved one has it, you should get help right away. Understanding the issues concerning suicide and mental health is an important way to participate in suicide prevention, help others in crisis, and change the conversation around suicide.

Strictly speaking, suicidal ideation means wanting to take your own life or thinking about suicide. However, there are two kinds of suicidal ideation: passive and active. Passive suicidal ideation occurs when you wish you were dead or that you could die, but you don’t actually have any plans to commit suicide.

Active suicidal ideation, on the other hand, is not only thinking about it but having the intent to commit suicide, including planning how to do it.

Suicidal ideation is one of the symptoms of both major depression and depression found in bipolar disorder, but it may also occur in people with other mental illnesses or no mental illness at all.

What Are The Types Of Suicidal Ideation?

Suicidal ideation refers to someone wanting to take their own life or thinking about doing so. The affected may be so preoccupied with thoughts of death that it interferes with their day-to-day life. Suicidal ideation is a broad term that includes various thoughts and behavior that are self-injurious, whether suicidal or not:

• Suicidal thoughts: Thoughts of killing oneself
• Suicidal threat: Thoughts of killing oneself that are verbalized to others
• Suicide attempt: Behavior that is intended to kill oneself but doesn’t result in death
• Nonsuicidal self-injury: Directly and intentionally hurting oneself without the intention of suicide

Suicidal Ideation Scale

A suicidal ideation scale is a clinical tool used to assess a person’s risk of committing suicide. By helping healthcare providers recognize signs that someone is likely to self-injure, the scale aids in timely intervention and treatment. 

Suicidal ideation scales include questions about a person’s thoughts, attitudes, and desire to commit suicide. Examples include:

Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI)

Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)

Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation (SAFE-T) 

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9)

To screen for suicidal ideation, healthcare providers may use one or more of these scales in addition to performing a physical examination to look for signs of self-harm or underlying medical conditions. They will also take a detailed medical history that includes their sleeping pattern, appetite, and any medications they are on.

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Updated 5/11/2023