Suicide Risk Assessment
Also written as: SRA — Suicide Risk Assessment
A structured clinical evaluation that appraises the nature, severity, and imminence of a patient's suicidal ideation, intent, plan, and access to means, resulting in a documented risk stratification.
Full Definition
A Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) is a required clinical document in psychiatric inpatient settings in which a clinician—using validated tools such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) or the SAD PERSONS scale—evaluates static and dynamic risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs to arrive at an overall risk stratification (typically low, moderate, or high). The assessment informs decisions about observation level, unit restriction, and discharge timing. Editors must preserve the precise language of risk descriptors and avoid paraphrasing terms like 'active suicidal ideation with plan and intent', as each component has clinical and legal significance. The term is always presented as two words and should not be shortened to 'suicide assessment' in formal documents.
Usage
Usage note: Do not shorten to 'suicide assessment'; the full term 'suicide risk assessment' is required in formal documentation. Each component of suicidal ideation (ideation, plan, intent, means) carries distinct clinical weight and must not be conflated or paraphrased by editors.
In Context
- "A suicide risk assessment was completed at admission and documented active suicidal ideation with a specific plan but without access to means." — Admission psychiatric evaluation
- "Policy requires that a formal suicide risk assessment be repeated at each shift change for patients admitted with suicidal ideation." — Nursing care policy