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IS PATH WARM? is an acronym utilized as a mnemonic device. It was created by the American Association of Suicidology to help counselors and the general public "remember the warning signs of suicide." [1] [2]
| Neuropsychology |
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IS PATH WARM? is an acronym utilized as a mnemonic device. It was created by the American Association of Suicidology to help counselors and the general public "remember the warning signs of suicide." [1] [2]
| I | Ideation | Talking of wanting to die, looking for ways to die, talking about death |
| S | Substance abuse | Increased or excessive substance use (alcohol or drugs) |
| P | Purposelessness | No reason for living; no sense of purpose in life |
| A | Anxiety | Anxiety, agitation; unable to sleep |
| T | Trapped | Feeling trapped – like there's no way out; resistance to help |
| H | Hopelessness | Hopelessness about the future |
| W | Withdrawal | Withdrawing from friends, family and society; sleeping all the time |
| A | Anger | Rage, uncontrolled anger; seeking revenge |
| R | Recklessness | Acting recklessly or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking |
| M | Mood changes | Dramatic mood changes |
Reviews from the psychiatric literature regarding the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic have been mixed. Several studies have confirmed that some of the acronym's warning signs are associated with suicidal ideation. A study compared 215 postings on an online "suicide forum" with 94 postings on a "self-injury forum". [3] They found that posters in the 'suicide forum' were more likely than those in the 'self-injury forum' to express suicidal ideation, purposelessness, feeling trapped, and social withdrawal. (However, they were less likely than those in the self-injury forum to express recklessness.) The study concluded that individuals who exhibit "IS PATH WARM" warning signs were more likely to have suicidal ideation.
However, the psychiatric literature has been critical of the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic's value in predicting suicidal behavior. A white paper prepared for the United States Fire Service's Suicide and Depression Summit stated that the acronym's "utility has been hampered by both limited sensitivity and weak specificity." [4] A 2011 study was also critical of "IS PATH WARM"'s validity, finding that none of the ten warning signs were able to predict completed suicides. [5]
According to a review of school-based suicide prevention, an additional concern is that the IS PATH WARM warning signs were based on risk factors for suicide that appear across the lifespan. Having not been evaluated independently for youth, the author writes, the acronym's value in predicting suicidal behavior in children is uncertain. [6]
In creating the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic, one of the American Association of Suicidology's stated goals was to aid the general public in learning and recalling the warning signs of suicide. The Society's "IS PATH WARM" webpage explains: "These warning signs were compiled by a task force of expert clinical-researchers and 'translated' for the general public." [1]
As an educational tool, "IS PATH WARM" has received widespread exposure. For example, it has been disseminated in suicide prevention materials from such diverse sources as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; [7] the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention; [8] the New York State Department of Correctional Services Training Academy; [9] and the United States Navy, [10] among many others.
Research regarding whether the mnemonic achieves its educational goals has been limited. However, a 2009 study compared two groups of airmen participating in the United States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program (AFSPP). One group received the Program's standard briefing, which did not include "IS PATH WARM", while the other received the standard briefing along with information about the mnemonic. [11] The researchers concluded: [11]
Participants in the standard briefing significantly increased their ability to list suicide warning signs and improved consistency with an expert consensus list, whereas participants in the standard briefing plus mnemonic demonstrated no learning. ... Results suggest that inclusion of the mnemonic in the AFSPP briefing interfered with participants' ability to learn suicide warning signs, and that increased confidence in the perceived ability to recognize suicide risk is not related to actual ability to accurately recall warning signs.
In summary, the limited research available regarding the educational utility of the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic shows a negative impact on ability to recognize warning signs for suicide, combined with a mistaken sense of confidence in one's ability to do so.
Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have long-lasting effects on individuals, families, and communities. Preventing suicide requires strategies at all levels of society. This includes prevention and protective strategies for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide can be prevented by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change.
Suicide intervention is a direct effort to prevent a person or persons from attempting to take their own life or lives intentionally.
Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of ending one's own life. It is not a diagnosis but is a symptom of some mental disorders and can also occur in response to adverse events without the presence of a mental disorder.
Suicidology is the scientific study of suicidal behaviour, the causes of suicidalness and suicide prevention. Every year, about one million people die by suicide, which is a mortality rate of sixteen per 100,000 or one death every forty seconds. Suicidologists believe that suicide is largely preventable with the right actions, knowledge about suicide, and a change in society's view of suicide to make it more acceptable to talk about suicide. There are many different fields and disciplines involved with suicidology, the two primary ones being psychology and sociology.
Suicide risk assessment is a process of estimating the likelihood for a person to attempt or die by suicide. The goal of a thorough risk assessment is to learn about the circumstances of an individual person with regard to suicide, including warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors. Risk for suicide is re-evaluated throughout the course of care to assess the patient's response to personal situational changes and clinical interventions. Accurate and defensible risk assessment requires a clinician to integrate a clinical judgment with the latest evidence-based practice, although accurate prediction of low base rate events, such as suicide, is inherently difficult and prone to false positives.
A suicide crisis, suicidal crisis or potential suicide is a situation in which a person is attempting to kill themselves or is seriously contemplating or planning to do so. It is considered by public safety authorities, medical practice, and emergency services to be a medical emergency, requiring immediate suicide intervention and emergency medical treatment. Suicidal presentations occur when an individual faces an emotional, physical, or social problem they feel they cannot overcome and considers suicide to be a solution. Clinicians usually attempt to re-frame suicidal crises, point out that suicide is not a solution and help the individual identify and solve or tolerate the problems.
Edwin S. Shneidman was an American clinical psychologist, suicidologist and thanatologist. Together with Norman Farberow and Robert Litman, in 1958, he founded the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center where the men were instrumental in researching suicide and developing a crisis center and treatments to prevent deaths.
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse are risk factors. Some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress, relationship problems, or harassment and bullying. Those who have previously attempted suicide are at a higher risk for future attempts. Effective suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to methods of suicide such as firearms, drugs, and poisons; treating mental disorders and substance abuse; careful media reporting about suicide; and improving economic conditions. Although crisis hotlines are common resources, their effectiveness has not been well studied.
The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which advocates for suicide prevention. It was established in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, who has been called "a pioneer in suicide prevention." Its official journal is Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, published six times a year by Wiley-Blackwell.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) is an international suicide prevention organization. Founded by Erwin Ringel and Norman Farberow in 1960, IASP, which is in an official relationship with the World Health Organization, is dedicated to preventing suicidal behavior and providing a forum for mental health professionals, crisis workers, suicide survivors and other people in one way or another affected by suicidal behaviour. The organization now consists of professionals and volunteers from over 50 countries worldwide.
A suicide attempt is an attempt to die by suicide that results in survival. It may be referred to as a "failed" or "unsuccessful" suicide attempt, though these terms are discouraged by mental health professionals for implying that a suicide resulting in death is a successful and positive outcome.
The Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP) is a national and international suicide prevention research centre located at Griffith University in Mt. Gravatt, Queensland. According to its website, the institute is "dedicated to advancing research and learning in the field of suicide prevention" and provides training for health professionals as well as master's degrees in suicidology. The institute also manages a research facility providing outpatient treatment for people with suicidal ideation and/or recent history of suicidal behaviour.
National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW) is an annual week-long campaign in the United States to inform and engage health professionals and the general public about suicide prevention and warning signs of suicide. By drawing attention to the problem of suicide in the United States, the campaign also strives to reduce the stigma surrounding the topic, as well as encourage the pursuit of mental health assistance and support people who have attempted suicide.
Historically, suicide terminology has been rife with issues of nomenclature, connotation, and outcomes, and terminology describing suicide has often been defined differently depending on the purpose of the definition. A lack of agreed-upon nomenclature and operational definitions has complicated understanding. In 2007, attempts were made to reach some consensus. There is also opposition to the phrase "to commit suicide" as implying negative moral judgment and association with criminal or sinful activity.
The interpersonal theory of suicide attempts to explain why individuals engage in suicidal behavior and to identify individuals who are at risk. It was developed by Thomas Joiner and is outlined in Why People Die By Suicide. The theory consists of three components that together lead to suicide attempts. According to the theory, the simultaneous presence of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness produce the desire for suicide. While the desire for suicide is necessary, it alone will not result in death by suicide. Rather, Joiner asserts that one must also have acquired capability to overcome one's natural fear of death.
Antoon A. Leenaars is a Canadian clinical and forensic psychologist practicing in Windsor, Ontario. He is known for his research on suicide.
In colleges and universities in the United States, suicide is one of the most common causes of death among students. Each year, approximately 24,000 college students attempt suicide while 1,100 students succeed in their attempt, making suicide the second-leading cause of death among U.S. college students. Roughly 12% of college students report the occurrence of suicide ideation during their first four years in college, with 2.6% percent reporting persistent suicide ideation. 65% of college students reported that they knew someone who has either attempted or died by suicide, showing that the majority of students on college campuses are exposed to suicide or suicidal attempts.
Alan Lee Berman also known as Lanny Berman, is an American psychologist, psychotherapist, and suicidologist. He is an adjunct professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Berman was formerly the executive director of the American Association of Suicidology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the International Association for Suicide Research. Berman has a private practice in psychological and forensic consultation.
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP)/L'Association canadienne pour la prevention du suicide (ACPS) was established in 1985. It is a non-governmental organization which brings attention to the problem of suicide in Canada and advocates for services, research, education and other supports in the area of suicide prevention and bereavement, across diverse Canadian cultures. CASP presents an annual conference which provides opportunities for networking and the exchange of ideas and information related to suicide prevention, intervention and postvention.
M. David Rudd is an American psychologist and academic administrator who has served as the president of the University of Memphis since 2014.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Acronym models for screening based on factors and characteristics known to be associated with suicidality have been proposed and are in common usage (e.g., "SAD PERSONS" and "IS PATH WARM") but their utility has been hampered by both limited sensitivity and weak specificity.
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