Local report highlights "acute suicidality"
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A recent paper from Healthier Colorado, a nonprofit advocating for health care policy, sheds light on "acute suicidality," a condition with a growing body of research.
Why it matters: Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in Colorado, while the number of kids and teens who die by suicide in the state more than doubled between 2010 and 2020, per state data.
State of play: Acute suicidality can occur when a person has a sudden onset of symptoms without the typical warning signs or indicators of someone who may be considering suicide, according to the report released last month.
- It includes people who attempt suicide shortly after contemplating it for the first time — sometimes within hours or minutes.
Yes, but: Some medical researchers are hesitant to adopt acute suicidality as a diagnosis, citing the need for additional studies, University of Colorado School of Medicine clinical psychologist Ian Stanley tells us.
- Stanley, who specializes in suicide prevention, says experts have determined chronic and acute risks associated with suicide. But more research is needed to clarify the distinction between those risks before arriving at a diagnosis, he says.
Context: Suicide is typically, but not exclusively, linked to long-term mental health disorders.
- It's often associated with major depressive, bipolar or substance use disorders, report co-author and senior policy director at Healthier Colorado Christina Walker tells us.
Zoom in: The paper commemorates Maddy Lignell, who died by suicide in May 2021.
- Family of the 26-year-old, who grew up in Boulder, say he didn't have a preexisting mental health condition. His parents believe his death was connected to acute suicidality, since it occurred just after he started sharing work-related worries.
What's next: The paper recommends a suicide-specific diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the handbook used by medical professionals for diagnosing mental health disorders.
- The paper identifies two potential formal diagnoses: acute suicidality affective disturbances (ASAD) and suicide-crisis syndrome (SCS).
- It also calls for partnering with clinicians to create new or improved screening and intervention tools.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Ayuda disponible en español.