Assessing and Screening for Suicide Risk

Course overview

Despite concerted efforts among healthcare providers to identify individuals at risk of suicide, it remains a leading cause of death in the U.S. In 2020, 1.2 million people attempted suicide and almost 46,000 people died by suicide. Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death for people between 10 and 64 years old (CDC, 2020; Ehlman et al., 2022). To see measurable reductions in the rate of suicide, it is critical to identify and intervene with those who are at increased risk. This course will provide you with information about risk and protective factors of suicide. You will learn effective screening approaches you can use to identify elevated risk. You will also learn how to follow a positive screening with an in-depth clinical assessment, including several different models you can use to guide your assessment. The goal of this course is to provide addictions, behavioral health counseling, marriage and family therapy, nursing, psychology, and social work professionals and physicians in health and human services with skills to identify individuals at increased risk of suicide. This course focuses on suicide risk screening and assessment methods. Search the Relias course library for information on suicide-specific interventions, safety planning, upstream prevention, trauma-informed care, or assessment and management of suicide risk in specific populations (e.g., youth, veterans) or diagnoses (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder).