The complexity of assessing overall severity of suicidality: a case study

This paper investigates the relationship between total scale scores and some other measures used to assess global severity of suicidality in order to determine if "global assessment" can be accomplished with one metric or if is it necessary to judge severity of suicidality in a multidimensional fashion.

For over a year, one subject with daily suicidality self-rated a global severity of suicidality score, the time spent in suicidality over 31,183 events of suicidality, the Sheehan-Suicidality Tracking Scale, Hopelessness Spectrum measure, and the Suicide Plan Tracking Scale.

Relying on only one or two metrics to assess global severity of suicidality appears to have significant limitations. As with all single case reports, the findings may not be generalizable to other cases of suicidality.

At the middle to high end of the suicidality spectrum, it is necessary to rely on multiple metrics, not just a global severity of suicidality rating, to properly assess the overall severity of suicidality.