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Related Experiment Videos

Predicting suicide with the SAD PERSONS scale.

Cara Katz1, Jason R Randall2, Jitender Sareen1,2,3

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Depression and Anxiety
|May 5, 2017
PubMed
Summary

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This summary is machine-generated.

The SAD PERSONS suicide risk assessment scale (SPS) is not effective in predicting suicide risk among emergency department patients. Findings do not support its clinical use for identifying individuals at high risk of suicide.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Public Health
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Suicide is a significant public health concern requiring accurate risk identification.
  • The SAD PERSONS suicide risk assessment scale (SPS) is commonly used despite limited evidence.
  • This study evaluates the predictive ability of the SPS in emergency department settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the efficacy of the SAD PERSONS scale (SPS) in predicting future suicide risk.
  • To assess the predictive value of SPS scores in adults presenting to emergency departments.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 5,462 adults in two tertiary emergency departments was linked to administrative data.
  • Suicide deaths were tracked over 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years post-visit.
Keywords:
emergency psychiatryepidemiologysuicide risk assessment

Related Experiment Videos

  • The SAD PERSONS scale (SPS) and its modified version were used for risk assessment.

    • Main Results:

    • 1.4% of individuals died by suicide within the study period.
    • At 12 months, SPS had 49% sensitivity and 60% specificity for suicide prediction.
    • Half of all suicides were classified as low risk by SPS at the initial visit.
    • High-risk SPS scores were significantly associated with suicide death over 5 years (HR 2.49).

    Conclusions:

    • The SAD PERSONS scale (SPS) and its modified version lack sufficient predictive power for suicide risk in emergency department patients.
    • Current findings do not support the routine use of SPS in clinical practice for suicide risk assessment.
    • Alternative or supplementary methods may be needed for accurate suicide risk stratification.