Risk factors for suicide include which of the following?

Risk factors for suicide include which of the following?

• A. Psychiatric illness (mood + substance use disorders)
• B. Psychosis w/ command hallucinations
• C. Affliction w/ chronic, painful, disabling disease
• D. Previous suicide attempt

Answer: (D)

The main point is that a history of a suicide attempt is the strongest predictor of future risk. When someone has attempted suicide before, it signals a persistent vulnerability to suicidal distress, potential access to means, and patterns of coping that can re-emerge, especially during times of increased stress or when symptoms flare. This makes prior attempts the most powerful warning sign among common risk factors, so it demands heightened safety planning, close monitoring, and appropriate intervention, regardless of whether mood or substance use disorders, psychotic features like command hallucinations, or chronic painful illness are present. Those other factors can raise risk, but they do so to a lesser extent on their own than a previous attempt, which is why it stands out as the best single indicator to guide urgent assessment and care.

The main point is that a history of a suicide attempt is the strongest predictor of future risk. When someone has attempted suicide before, it signals a persistent vulnerability to suicidal distress, potential access to means, and patterns of coping that can re-emerge, especially during times of increased stress or when symptoms flare. This makes prior attempts the most powerful warning sign among common risk factors, so it demands heightened safety planning, close monitoring, and appropriate intervention, regardless of whether mood or substance use disorders, psychotic features like command hallucinations, or chronic painful illness are present. Those other factors can raise risk, but they do so to a lesser extent on their own than a previous attempt, which is why it stands out as the best single indicator to guide urgent assessment and care.