Suicide Ideation at its Worst Point: a Predictor of Eventual Suicide in Psychiatric Outpatients

Scales for measuring current suicide ideation, ideation at its worst point in the patient’s life, & hopelessness were administered to 3701 outpatients seeking psychiatric treament. 30 subjects eventually committed suicide, within a mean of 4 years from initial assessment. The assessment of suicide ideation at its worst point identifies a subgroup of patients at relatively high risk of suicide. Robust interventions & periodic monitoring are recommended to reduce long-term suicide risk.