Assessment of Suicide Risk by Computer-Delivered Self-Rating Questionnaire: Preliminary Findings

102 patients admitted to a hospital after an episode of deliberate self-harm were interviewed by a computer & then by a psychiatrist. The computer interview consisted of a self-rating modification of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression & a self-rating questionnaire for suicidal ideation. There was a significant pathoplastic effect of the personality of the patient on the clinician’s perception of the psychopathology. The computer was a better predictor of suicidality than the clinician.