Best Practices for Zero Suicide

April 6, 2021 | 3-5 pm CDT

Suicide is now the 10th leading cause of death in the United States; further, it is the 7th leading cause of death in Oklahoma. Trauma is a key driver of lifetime suicide risk. Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that persons experiencing four or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) having almost ten times the rate of suicide attempts as those experiencing none. Although health care and social services have had good intentions in caring for individuals at risk of suicide, the rising death rate shows that more must be done. To save lives, agencies and practitioners must adopt the goal of Zero Suicide by systematically implementing best-practice methods in order to make suicide a “never event.” This workshop will provide a brief overview of the elements of suicidality, including psychological and social elements. A review of best-practice evidence-supported screening and assessment methods will be provided, with a special focus on using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, a gold-standard tool endorsed by major health organizations around the world, to identify risk and make decisions about care. The use of the Stanley-Brown safety plan intervention, demonstrated by research to prevent hospitalizations as well as deaths by suicide, will be discussed. By implementing suicide screening and safety planning, we will save lives.