Suicide Ideation: Interventions

Creating a safety plan can be proactive step or an acute intervention. An essential component of safety planning for any level of risk is eliminating means: for example, ensuring firearms and medications are kept locked. A DocAssist consultation can help you determine if you need to recommend that parents withhold car keys from teens who are experiencing acute mood symptoms or substance misuse. The consultation can also include tips on collaborative ways to discuss this plan with the teen and their parents that is supportive and not punitive. For more details about safety planning and templates, please visit the IDA website.

Surprisingly, not all children need to be sent to the ED as it may not always be the appropriate level of care or appropriate use of resources. At times, you may make a clinical judgment that a youth can remain home despite moderate suicide risk because of the presence of a safety plan, a supportive home environment, access to outpatient care, and mitigating protective factors. Again, in this case an Illinois DocAssist consultation will be helpful in making appropriate judgements about allowing a child to stay home or deciding to send them to the ED. Click here for more information about how to keep patients safe in the outpatient setting.

Finally for youth at more imminent risk for suicide, call SASS as indicated and/or send the youth to the local emergency room for further assessment. Anticipatory guidance and compassionate support are essential components for keeping patients safe. Please call Illinois DocAssist for case-specific resources or for post-discharge management from acute psychiatric treatments.