The Suicide Evaluation is a self-report test that helps mental health professional (counselors, therapists, evaluators, etc) identify suicidal clients (patients, defendants, probationers, victims, offenders, etc.). Suicides occur in all levels and facets of society. High suicide risk groups include the depressed, substance (alcohol and other drugs) abusers, victims of abuse, distressed individuals, severely ill older people, etc. The Suicide Evaluation identifies people that are at risk of taking their own lives. When working with high suicide risk groups, it just makes sense to include a suicide risk test in your patient intake screening. Such an act would help you meet professional standards, concurrently improve patient care and reduce exposure to litigation.

Most, if not all experienced counselors, therapists and treatment staff have had patients they would have liked to have screened with a suicide test. In essence, a reliable and valid suicide test that could serve as a "second opinion" is often needed. A suicide test that could be used on an "as needed" basis. Caregivers, supervisory staff and administrators are becoming aware of the need to include suicide screening in their intake and treatment procedures.

The Suicide Evaluation consists of 142 items and takes 25 to 30 minutes to complete. The Suicide Evaluation has six (6) scales or measures:

1. Truthfulness Scale: Measures how truthful the client was while completing the Suicide Evaluation. This scale identifies denial, guardedness, problem minimization and attempts to "fake good" Many experienced evaluators prefer tests that contain a reliable and valid Truthfulness Scale.

2. Suicide Scale: Measures a person's propensity to committing suicide. When suicidal people do not get help early, the probability of a suicidal act increases dramatically. Real suicide prevention is only possible if other people recognize the "signals" in time.

3. Depression Scale: Measures loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities, agitation, insomnia, significant weight loss, and feelings of worthlessness, melancholy, unhappiness, etc. Sever depression is often associated with suicidal acts.

4. Alcohol Scale: Measures the severity of alcohol use and/or abuse. Alcohol refers to beer, wine and other liquors. Alcohol is a licit substance. Alcohol is often used prior to suicidal acts.

5. Drugs Scale: Measures drug use and the severity of abuse. Drugs refers to marijuana, crack, cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates, heroin, etc. The literature suggests drugs are increasingly used prior to suicidal acts.

6. Stress Coping Abilities Scale: Measures a person's ability to handle stress and pressure. Stress when not properly handled exacerbates mental and emotional problems symptomotolgy. High scores (90th percentile or higher) very likely have acute and prolonged emotional and mental health problems.

Why use the Suicide Evaluation? There are very few tests designed specifically for identifying suicidal individuals. There are even fewer suicide tests with impressive reliability and validity. And there are very few suicide tests that have a built in Truthfulness Scale. Today there are professional liability issues regarding whether-or-not therapists conducted suicidal assessment or examination when treating high suicidal risk patients. When working with high risk suicidal patients, it is important to identify the nature of their problems and properly match problem severity with treatment intensity. Suicide Evaluation scales measure the "severity" of identified problems so that evaluators, counselors, or mental health professional can match treatment intensity to problem severity.

The Suicide Evaluation provides comprehensive patient profile. Its six (6) scales provide information that helps in identifying and understanding suicidal individuals. In one sitting of approximately 25 minutes staff acquires important patient/client information. The Suicide Evaluation repot summarizes vast amounts of information in easily understood Suicide Evaluation reports. To review one of these reports, click on this Suicide Evaluation Report link.

Reliability & Validity: The Suicide Evaluation has a proprietary built-in database that insures inclusion of administered tests in a confidential (no names) manner. This research is reported in the "Suicide Evaluation: Inventory of Scientific Findings," which can be provided upon request. For example, internal consistencies (coefficient alpha) are reported in the following table:

These results support the reliability of the Suicide Evaluation. All reliability coefficients for all Suicide Evaluation scales are well above the generally accepted level of .75. To accurately identify suicidal individuals, we must combine separate behaviors and symptoms when no one behavior or symptom by itself would be a good suicide predictor. That is what the Suicide Evaluation does.

Suicide Evaluation scales evolved from the scale items represented in other established assessment instruments. For example, the Truthfulness Scale, Alcohol Scale and Drugs Scale items evolved from the SAQ - Adult Probation III, which is an established substance abuse screening instrument. The Depression and Stress Coping Abilities Scale items evolved from the Treatment Intervention Inventory which is an established clinical or counseling screening test. The Suicide Scale evolved from the Victim Index, which is an established clinical screening instrument for assessing victims of violence and abuse. These items were included in large item pools. Item selection was initially a rational process by three psychologists who clearly understood the definition of each scale. The original pool of potential test items was analyzed and items with the best statistical properties were retained. The Suicide Evaluation test was then administered to a variety of patient groups, e.g., substance abuse outpatient, inpatient, court diversion clients, probationers and job applicants.