Florida School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide

Tool 14a Suicide Assessment: C-SSRS Brief Screening COLUMBIA-SUICIDE SEVERITY RATING SCALE (C-SSRS) SUICIDAL IDEATION DEFINITIONS AND PROMPTS Past Month Ask questions as grouped and check yes or no for each statement. YES NO Ask questions 1 and 2. 1) Have you wished you were dead or you could go to sleep and not wake up? P erson endorses thoughts about a wish to be dead or not alive anymore or to fall asleep and not wake up. (Ideation: Wish to be dead) 2) Have you actually had any thoughts of killing yourself? G eneral non-specific thoughts of wanting to end one’s life/die by suicide, “I’ve thought about killing myself” without general thoughts of ways to kill oneself/associated methods, intent, or plan. (Ideation: Suicidal thoughts) If YES to 2, ask questions 3, 4, 5, and 6. If NO to 2, go directly to question 6. 3) Suicidal thoughts with method (without specific plan or intent to act): P erson endorses thoughts of suicide and has thought of at least one method during the assessment period. This is different than a specific plan with time, place, or method details worked out. “I thought about taking an overdose, but I never made a specific plan as to when, where, or how I would actually do it, and I would never go through with it.” (Ideation: Suicidal thoughts with method—without specific plan or intent to act) 4) Have you had these thoughts and had some intention of acting on them? A ctive suicidal thoughts of killing oneself and patient reports having some intent to act on such thoughts, as opposed to “I have the thoughts, but I definitely will not do anything about them.” (Ideation: Suicidal intent—without specific plan) 5) Have you started to work out or worked out the details of how to kill yourself? Do you intend to carry out this plan? T houghts of killing oneself with details of plan fully or partially worked out and person has some intent to carry it out. (Ideation: Suicidal intent with specific plan) Florida S.T.E.P.S.