Suicide Risk Assessment in Australian Emergency Departments: Assessing Clinicians’ Disposition Decisions

Table 4

Scenarios presented to survey respondents.

Scenario one described Trevor, a recently retired 68-year-old male, involved in a car accident under the influence of alcohol. His history included recent depression with GP management, increased alcohol intake, and discussions about suicide with his wife.
Scenario two was the low risk test scenario and described Mary, a 22-year-old female who lives with her mother, presenting to ED after cutting herself following an incident with a coworker. Since seeing a counsellor, her self-harming had been happening less often.
Scenario three described Aaron, a 35-year-old male with Down’s syndrome, brought into ED by his mother, who was reluctant to have him admitted. Aaron had been hitting his head against a brick wall, saying that his recently deceased father was telling him to kill himself. He had been diagnosed with depression but refused medication.
Scenario four was the high risk test scenario and described Gayle, a 39-year-old mother of four young children, with a history of childhood sexual abuse, substance abuse, and psychiatric issues. She was brought into ED after her eldest child found her under the influence of alcohol with a noose.
Scenario five described Alan, a 36-year-old man, with a history of schizophrenia, persistent delusions, and recent medication noncompliance and negative thoughts. He lived in a supported residential service (SRS), where he had been stockpiling his medication with plans to overdose, and presented to ED with his new case manager.