The recognition of suicide lethality factors by health and mental health professionals.

Abstract

This study was an investigation of the ability of health and mental health professionals to recognize signs of suicide lethality. These professionals must often make evaluations of suicide potential in a short period of time with persons relatively unknown to them. Little evidence is available on the accuracy of professional evaluations of suicide lethality. Signs of suicide lethality used in this study were ten factors comprising the Suicide Potential Rating Scale developed by the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center. The scale factors were empirically-derived, and non-theoretical variables were found to differentiate lethal from non-lethal attempters. This study was designed to investigate how recognition of Suicide Potential Rating Scale factors differed among: (a) health and mental health professionals, and (b) health and mental health professionals and controls. Subjects in the investigation were 150 physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and clergymen. Controls were 30 college students. Subjects and controls were administered a 13-item multiple choice questionnaire covering the factors of the Suicide Potential Rating Scale. Analyses of variance were used to test the relationships among professional groups and controls. Tukey's (a) Test was used to test the relationships between the means of specific professional groups and controls. The findings of the study were: 1. Significant differences existed among professional groups on ability to recognize Suicide Potential Rating Scale factors. 2. Significant differences existed among professional groups and controls on ability to recognize Suicide Potential Rating Scale factors. 3. Treatment groups were significantly different from each other in the following order, from highest mean to lowest: physician/psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, and clergyman/control. 4. Significant differences existed among four levels of experience across professional groups on ability to recognize Suicide Potential Rating Scale factors.