Desire
"It'd be easier if I just disappeared."
What is Passive Suicidal Ideation (Desire)?
“Yeah, I tried something once back in high school. I never told anyone.”
What is Prior Suicide Attempts (Capability)?
“I’ve figured out how I’d do it — it wouldn’t take much.”
What is Has an Outlined Plan (Intent)?
“My dad keeps a gun in the house. I know where it is.”
What is Access to Lethal Means?
“I’ve been drinking a bit more to help me fall asleep, but I’m still going to class.
What is Substance Use related to risk - Low?
(increase in use, currently not impairing functioning or linked to suicidal ideation)
“I’ve been thinking a lot about ending it.”
What is Active Suicidal Ideation (Desire)?
“I’ll feel okay one minute, and then I’m crying in my car the next.”
What is Mood Changes (Capability)?
“I walked by the spot to see how it felt.”
What is Preparation Behavior (Intent)?
“There’s a roof on campus that’s pretty easy to get to.”
What is Access to Means/ Site Access?
“I’ve been getting drunk more often since the breakup. It helps me stop thinking.”
What is Substance Use related to risk — Low to Moderate? (Increased use as a coping strategy, potentially masking emotional pain)
“I Googled how tall a building needs to be for a fall to be fatal.”
What is Researching Methods (Desire)?
“I get irritated so fast now, even over little stuff.”
What is Increased Anxiety/Irritability (Capability)?
“I don’t want to be here anymore — I’m done.”
What is Intent to die (Intent)?
"I live alone and no one would stop me."
What is Low Possibility of Rescue?
“I usually black out. I woke up in my car last weekend and don’t remember how I got there.”
What is Substance Use related to risk — Moderate to High?
(Dangerous binge use with impaired judgment and memory loss. Elevates suicide risk by increasing likelihood of impulsive behavior.)
"I honestly don’t think things will ever change.”
What is Hopelessness (Desire)?
“It’s happened more than once, but I don’t tell people because they freak out.”
What is Prior/Repeated Suicide Attempts (Capability)?
“School, relationships... none of it means anything anymore.”
What is Purposelessness/No Reason to Live (Intent)?
“I keep a box cutter in my desk — just in case.”
What is Active Preparation + Access?
“I’ve been drinking every day, and it’s the only time I don’t feel like killing myself.”
What is Substance Use related to Risk — High?
(Strong correlation between substance use and suicidal ideation. Use may reinforce or intensify suicidal thinking)
“I feel like I ruin everything for my family.”
What is Feeling Like a Burden (Desire)?
“I’ve thought about places where it would take a while before anyone realized.”
What is Low Possibility of Rescue (Capability)?
“My mom would be devastated — she’s the only reason I haven’t done it.”
What is Barriers to Acting/Protective Hesitations (Intent)?
“I have a hunting knife in my room — I just keep it there, but yeah, I think about it.”
What is Immediate Access to Lethal Means?
“I wouldn’t go through with it sober, but when I’m high, I really think about doing it.”
What is Substance Use related to risk — High?
(Substance use lowers inhibition and increases likelihood of acting on suicidal ideation)