Suicide Assessment: an Overview and Recommended Protocol (IN: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Suicide Assessment and Intervention, edited by D G Jacobs)

This chapter presents an overview of the clinical consideratons involved in suicide assessment. The authors review what is known about risk factors associated with suicide & highlights both their clinical utility & limitations. A version of a suicide assessment protocol, intended as a suggested guideline not as a standard of care, is presented. Each element of the protocol is reviewed & case examples are cited to demonstrate how the protocol can be used clinically.