Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
Pronunciation: see-SSRS (spell out letters)
Also written as: C-SSRS — Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
A standardised, FDA-referenced instrument used to classify the severity and type of suicidal ideation and behaviour in clinical and research settings.
Full Definition
The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) was developed at Columbia University and is widely adopted in emergency psychiatry, clinical trials, and regulatory submissions to the FDA for monitoring suicidality as an adverse event. It distinguishes between passive ideation, active ideation with and without plan or intent, and preparatory or actual suicidal behaviour. Editors working on clinical trial protocols, FDA submissions, or psychiatric emergency procedures should render the abbreviation consistently as 'C-SSRS' (with hyphen) and avoid 'CSSRS' or 'Columbia Scale.' The scale's structured language should be reproduced exactly when quoted in documents.
Usage
Usage note: Always hyphenate: C-SSRS, not CSSRS. When referencing specific subscales (Ideation Intensity, Behaviour), capitalise subscale names as proper nouns per the instrument's official documentation.
In Context
- "All emergency department nurses completed C-SSRS training as part of the new suicide risk screening initiative." — Training and education document
- "The clinical trial protocol mandated C-SSRS administration at baseline, week 4, and week 8 to monitor treatment-emergent suicidality." — Clinical trial protocol