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Vital Signs:

The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale


P

atient suicide is a tragic and relatively frequently reported patient safety event. For the past three years, suicide has

been among the top four types of sentinel events reported to The Joint Commission.1 To help organizations prevent

such deaths, The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) NPSG.15.01.01 requires accredited hospitals and behavioral health care organizations to identify patients at risk for suicide.

Implementing this requirement has been challenging to some organizations. Many suicide risk assessments require that staff have mental health training; at-risk patients can be admitted to the facility via many different departments, not just the emergency department (ED) or behavioral health care department (and may be admitted for a seemingly unrelated health reason); and departments may use different assessments, hindering care continuity as patients move throughout a facility.

The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) is a structured, evidence-based tool that has been used to successfully screen patients for suicide risk in a variety of health care and research settings. Developed by Columbia University, New York, by a team led by Kelly Posner, PhD, the tool is part of a national and international public health initiative involving the assessment of suicidality to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations. The tool is available in more than 100 languages and for a variety of care settings. (See the tool on pages 5–6.)

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The full version of the C-SSRS assesses the severity and intensity of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and allows caregivers to document the behaviors and their severity. The tool is two pages long and takes only a few minutes to administer.

One edition includes two columns, to document a patient’s suicidal thoughts or behaviors recently (the past month for ideation and the past three months for behavior— the time frames determined to

be most clinically meaningful) as well as over his or her lifetime.

Another version includes a column for thoughts or behaviors since the

used in triage situations.

Since its inception, the C-SSRS has been administered to several million individuals and has demonstrated excellent feasibility and success in helping health care organizations prevent patient suicide. One large behavioral health system reported a reduction from 3.1 per 10,000 patients to 1.1, in less than two years.2 After training community counselors, chaplains, victims’ advocates, and attorneys in use of the

C-SSRS, the US Marine Corps saw a 22% reduction in suicides in the first year. 3

“Suicide isn’t a high-frequency occurrence, but it is high impact,” says Anne Bauer, MD, field director, Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “The research shows that this tool will help organizations focus on folks who are at highest risk.”


Standardize Assessment Throughout an Organization

“I do a lot of surveying and see what hospitals and health care systems are using,” Bauer says. “They’ve either developed something themselves or they’re using a piecemeal approach, with different tools in different departments: What may appear to be a person at risk in one area may not appear

to be at risk in another. When the ED is asking their set

(continued on page 7)

patient’s last visit to the facility. The tool also comes in a “screener” version, with fewer questions, to be

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A patient at risk for suicide may come to a hospital or other health care setting for a medical condition that is unrelated to his or her psychological state.

Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)*


SUICIDAL IDEATION


Ask questions 1 and 2. If both are negative, proceed to “Suicidal Behavior” section. If the answer to question 2 is “yes”, ask questions 3, 4 and 5. If the answer to question 1 and/or 2 is “yes”, complete “Intensity of Ideation” section below.

Lifetime:

Time He/She Felt Most Suicidal


Past 1 month

1. Wish to be Dead

Subject endorses thoughts about a wish to be dead or not alive anymore, or wish to fall asleep and not wake up.

Have you wished you were dead or wished you could go to sleep and not wake up?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Yes No

□ □

2. Non-Specific Active Suicidal Thoughts

General non-specific thoughts of wanting to end one’s life/commit suicide (e.g., “I’ve thought about killing myself”) without thoughts of ways to kill oneself/associated methods, intent, or plan during the assessment period.

Have you actually had any thoughts of killing yourself?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Yes No

□ □

3. Active Suicidal Ideation with Any Methods (Not Plan) without Intent to Act

Subject endorses thoughts of suicide and has thought of at least one method during the assessment period. This is different than a specific plan with time, place or method details worked out (e.g., thought of method to kill self but not a specific plan). Includes person who would say, “I thought about taking an overdose but I never made a specific plan as to when, where or how I would actually do it…and I would never go through with it.”

Have you been thinking about how you might do this?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Yes No

□ □

4. Active Suicidal Ideation with Some Intent to Act, without Specific Plan

Active suicidal thoughts of killing oneself and subject reports having some intent to act on such thoughts, as opposed to “I have the thoughts

but I definitely will not do anything about them.”

Have you had these thoughts and had some intention of acting on them?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Yes No

□ □

5. Active Suicidal Ideation with Specific Plan and Intent

Thoughts of killing oneself with details of plan fully or partially worked out and subject has some intent to carry it out.

Have you started to work out or worked out the details of how to kill yourself? Do you intend to carry out this plan?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Yes No

□ □

INTENSITY OF IDEATION

The following features should be rated with respect to the most severe type of ideation (i.e., 1-5 from above, with 1 being the least severe and 5 being the most severe). Ask about time he/she was feeling the most suicidal.


Lifetime - Most Severe Ideation:

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Type # (1-5) Description of Ideation


Recent - Most Severe Ideation:

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Type # (1-5) Description of Ideation


Most Severe


Most Severe

Frequency

How many times have you had these thoughts?

(1) Less than once a week (2) Once a week (3) 2-5 times in week (4) Daily or almost daily (5) Many times each day


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Duration

When you have the thoughts how long do they last?

  1. Fleeting - few seconds or minutes (3) 1-4 hours/a lot of time (4) 4-8 hours/most of day

  2. Less than 1 hour/some of the time (5) More than 8 hours/persistent or continuous



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Controllability

Could/can you stop thinking about killing yourself or wanting to die if you want to?

  1. Easily able to control thoughts (4) Can control thoughts with a lot of difficulty

  2. Can control thoughts with little difficulty (5) Unable to control thoughts

  3. Can control thoughts with some difficulty (0) Does not attempt to control thoughts


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Deterrents

Are there things - anyone or anything (e.g., family, religion, pain of death) - that stopped you from wanting to die or acting on thoughts of

committing suicide?

  1. Deterrents definitely stopped you from attempting suicide (4) Deterrents most likely did not stop you

  2. Deterrents probably stopped you (5) Deterrents definitely did not stop you

  3. Uncertain that deterrents stopped you (0) Does not apply


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Reasons for Ideation

What sort of reasons did you have for thinking about wanting to die or killing yourself? Was it to end the pain or stop the way you were feeling (in other words you couldn’t go on living with this pain or how you were feeling) or was it to get attention, revenge or a reaction from others? Or both?

  1. Completely to get attention, revenge or a reaction from others (4) Mostly to end or stop the pain (you couldn’t go on

  2. Mostly to get attention, revenge or a reaction from others living with the pain or how you were feeling)

  3. Equally to get attention, revenge or a reaction from others (5) Completely to end or stop the pain (you couldn’t go on

and to end/stop the pain living with the pain or how you were feeling)

(0) Does not apply


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(continued on page 6)


SUICIDAL IDEATION

SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR

(Check all that apply, so long as these are separate events; must ask about all types)


Lifetime:


Past 3 months

Actual Attempt:


Yes No


Yes No

A potentially self-injurious act committed with at least some wish to die, as a result of act. Behavior was in part thought of as method to

kill oneself. Intent does not have to be 100%. If there is any intent/desire to die associated with the act, then it can be considered an

□ □

□ □

actual suicide attempt. There does not have to be any injury or harm, just the potential for injury or harm. If person pulls trigger while

gun is in mouth but gun is broken so no injury results, this is considered an attempt.

Inferring Intent: Even if an individual denies intent/wish to die, it may be inferred clinically from the behavior or circumstances. For

example, a highly lethal act that is clearly not an accident so no other intent but suicide can be inferred (e.g., gunshot to head, jumping

from window of a high floor/story). Also, if someone denies intent to die, but they thought that what they did could be lethal, intent may

Total # of

Total # of

be inferred.

Attempts

Attempts

Have you made a suicide attempt?

Have you done anything to harm yourself?


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Have you done anything dangerous where you could have died?

What did you do?

Did you as a way to end your life?

Did you want to die (even a little) when you ?

Were you trying to end your life when you ?

Yes No

Yes No

Or Did you think it was possible you could have died from ?

□ □

□ □

Or did you do it purely for other reasons / without ANY intention of killing yourself (like to relieve stress, feel better,

get sympathy, or get something else to happen)? (Self-Injurious Behavior without suicidal intent)

If yes, describe:

Has subject engaged in Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior?

Interrupted Attempt:

When the person is interrupted (by an outside circumstance) from starting the potentially self-injurious act (if not for that, actual attempt would have occurred).

Overdose: Person has pills in hand but is stopped from ingesting. Once they ingest any pills, this becomes an attempt rather than an interrupted attempt. Shooting: Person has gun pointed toward self, gun is taken away by someone else, or is somehow prevented from pulling trigger. Once they pull the trigger, even if the gun fails to fire, it is an attempt. Jumping: Person is poised to jump, is grabbed and taken down from ledge. Hanging: Person has noose around neck but has not yet started to hang - is stopped from doing so.

Has there been a time when you started to do something to end your life but someone or something stopped you before you actually did anything?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Total # of Interrupted


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Yes No

□ □


Total # of Interrupted


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Aborted or Self-Interrupted Attempt:

When person begins to take steps toward making a suicide attempt, but stops themselves before they actually have engaged in any self-destructive behavior. Examples are similar to interrupted attempts, except that the individual stops him/herself, instead of being stopped by something else.

Has there been a time when you started to do something to try to end your life but you stopped yourself before you actually did anything?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Total # of aborted or self- Interrupted


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Yes No

□ □


Total # of aborted or self- Interrupted


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Preparatory Acts or Behavior:

Acts or preparation towards imminently making a suicide attempt. This can include anything beyond a verbalization or thought, such as assembling a specific method (e.g., buying pills, purchasing a gun) or preparing for one’s death by suicide (e.g., giving things away, writing a suicide note).

Have you taken any steps towards making a suicide attempt or preparing to kill yourself (such as collecting pills, getting a gun, giving valuables away or writing a suicide note)?

If yes, describe:


Yes No

□ □


Total # of preparatory acts


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Yes No

□ □


Total # of preparatory acts


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Most Recent Attempt Date:

Most Lethal Attempt Date:

Initial/First Attempt Date:

Actual Lethality/Medical Damage:

  1. No physical damage or very minor physical damage (e.g., surface scratches).

  2. Minor physical damage (e.g., lethargic speech; first-degree burns; mild bleeding; sprains).

  3. Moderate physical damage; medical attention needed (e.g., conscious but sleepy, somewhat responsive; second-degree burns; bleeding of major vessel).

  4. Moderately severe physical damage; medical hospitalization and likely intensive care required (e.g., comatose with reflexes intact; third-degree burns less than 20% of body; extensive blood loss but can recover; major fractures).

  5. Severe physical damage; medical hospitalization with intensive care required (e.g., comatose without reflexes; third- degree burns over 20% of body; extensive blood loss with unstable vital signs; major damage to a vital area).

  6. Death


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Potential Lethality: Only Answer if Actual Lethality=0

Likely lethality of actual attempt if no medical damage (the following examples, while having no actual medical damage, had potential for very serious lethality: put gun in mouth and pulled the trigger but gun fails to fire so no medical damage; laying on train tracks with oncoming train but pulled away before run over).


0 = Behavior not likely to result in injury

1 = Behavior likely to result in injury but not likely to cause death

2 = Behavior likely to result in death despite available medical care


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* Disclaimer: This scale is intended to be used by individuals who have received training in its administration. The questions contained in the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale are suggested probes. Ultimately, the determination of the presence of suicidal ideation or behavior depends on the judgment of the individual administering the scale.

Definitions of behavioral suicidal events in this scale are based on those used in the Columbia Suicide History Form, developed by John Mann, MD and Maria Oquendo, MD, Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders (CCNMD), New York State Psychiatric Institute. (Oquendo M, Halberstam B, Mann J. Risk factors for suicidal behavior: Utility and limitations of research instruments. In M.B. First [Ed.] Standardized Evaluation in Clinical Practice. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2003; pp. 103 -130.)

Reprinted with permission.


Vital Signs

(continued from page 5)

of questions, and then the social worker asks another set, then the psychiatrist asks another, you’re reducing the signal strength. You’re not honing in on the needle in the haystack.”

By adopting the C-SSRS, organizations ensure that one tool is being used by all caregivers, who can then use the same terminology when communicating with other caregivers. This can be particularly valuable when transferring patients within the organization to other facilities. Using the same language helps all caregivers understand what the patient needs.


Build Patient Trust

The C-SSRS tool asks the questions in a direct manner, without euphemisms. For example: “Have you wished you were dead or wished you could go to sleep and not wake up?” This approach avoids confusion and miscommunication but may make some users without behavioral health care experience uncomfortable.

However, Bauer says, some patients report that they were grateful when asked the direct questions about suicide because they had never been asked before and didn’t know how to bring up the topic. They wanted help, and the questions gave them the opportunity to ask for it and know that their answers were understood.


Conserve Resources

By identifying at-risk patients more accurately, the C-SSRS allows organizations to focus their resources on those who need them most and reduce unnecessary interventions.

“It’s costly to have a one-to-one caregiver keeping someone safe,” Bauer notes. “You absolutely want to do that when the patient needs it, but if the patient isn’t really at risk, you’re pulling resources away from other areas where they’re needed.”

In New York City, middle school nurses used the

Some patients report that they were grateful when asked the direct questions about suicide, because they had never been asked before and didn’t know

how to bring up the topic.

However, caregivers should be trained in how to

administer the tool effectively, how to score it, and how to communicate the results. In addition, if a patient is positive for suicide risk, the caregiver must know what to do to

set up a safety plan and refer the patient for appropriate treatment.

Training is free, available in many languages, and easily adapted based on the needs of the caregiver or organization. Currently, two videotaped trainings are available; one for the full C-SSRS and another for the screener version. These taped trainings can be accessed on the training campus

website, downloaded, or obtained on DVD. A new Web-based interactive training for the full C-SSRS is also available in multiple languages. Organizations may add these materials to their internal information networks or training programs.

“The Columbia tool helps organizations to focus their efforts across a wide span of programs,” Bauer says. “When adopting it, organizations should take a thoughtful team- oriented approach. People from different parts of the system should be brought together to evaluate how this tool could impact the organization and its patients.”

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Regular evaluation of the effects of the assessment are also recommended. “It’s important to evaluate how well the tool is working for your organization and whether changes are needed to make it more effective. As time goes on, the needs of an organization, its staff, and its patients are going to change, so any assessment tool should be periodically reevaluated.” TS

C-SSRS to identify at-risk children who would have

otherwise been missed, while also dramatically reducing unnecessary referrals (which are not only costly but also can be extremely distressing for young patients). One district determined that 60% to 90% of their referrals were unnecessary.4


Training

The C-SSRS does not require that the person administering it have mental health training. Any caregiver may use it, and it can be used in non-behavioral health care settings, including schools, the military, substance abuse treatment centers, prisons, juvenile justice systems, and community organizations.

References

  1. The Joint Commission. Sentinel Event Data: Event Type by Year. 2015 Accessed Jan 11, 2016. http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18

    /Event_Type_by_Year_1995-3Q-2015.pdf.

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  2. Esposito L. Strides in suicide prevention. US News & World Report. 2015 Jun 15. Accessed Jan. 11, 2016. http://health.usnews.com/ healthnews/health-wellness/articles/2015/06/05/strides-in-suicide

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    -prevention.

  3. Seck HH. Marine suicides down 22 percent in 2014. Marine Corps Times. 2015 Apr 2. Accessed Jan 11, 2015. http://www.

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    marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/benefits/health-care/2015/04/02

    /marinesuicides-down-22-percent-2014/70790448/.

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  4. Columbia University Medical Center. Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS): General Information. Accessed Jan 11, 2015, http://www.cssrs.columbia.edu/about_cssrs.html.