SAD PERSONS scale

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SAD PERSONS scale
Purposedetermine suicide risk

The SAD PERSONS scale is an acronym utilized as a mnemonic device. It was first developed as a clinical assessment tool for medical professionals to determine suicide risk, by Patterson et al. [1] The Adapted-SAD PERSONS Scale was developed by Gerald A. Juhnke for use with children in 1996.

Contents

Recent studies have found although the scale has specificity, its sensitivity is so low it is of no clinical value; [2] [3] moreover it may actually be clinically harmful. [4] This measure has also been criticized for being an index of risk factors that may not be applicable to individuals, and that suicide risk be assessed with more valid measures of the individual's current risk level. [5]

Calculation

The score is calculated from ten yes/no questions, with one point for each affirmative answer:

This score is then mapped onto a risk assessment scale as follows:

Modified SAD PERSONS Scale

The score is calculated from ten yes/no questions, with points given for each affirmative answer as follows: [6]

This score is then mapped onto a risk assessment scale as follows:

See also

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References

  1. Patterson, WM; Dohn, HH; Bird, J; Patterson, GA (April 1983). "Evaluation of suicidal patients: the SAD PERSONS scale". Psychosomatics. 24 (4): 343–5, 348–9. doi: 10.1016/S0033-3182(83)73213-5 . PMID   6867245.
  2. Bolton, James M.; Spiwak, Rae; Sareen, Jitender (15 June 2012). "Predicting Suicide Attempts With the SAD PERSONS Scale". The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 73 (6): e735–e741. doi:10.4088/JCP.11m07362. PMID   22795212. S2CID   556589.
  3. Saunders, K.; Brand, F.; Lascelles, K.; Hawton, K. (29 July 2013). "The sad truth about the SADPERSONS Scale: an evaluation of its clinical utility in self-harm patients". Emergency Medicine Journal. 31 (10): 796–798. doi:10.1136/emermed-2013-202781. PMID   23896589. S2CID   29091285.
  4. M. Birnbaumer, Diane. "A Sad Performance by the SADPERSONS Scale". NEJM Journal Watch. Massachusetts Medical Society. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  5. Harris, K. M.; Syu, J.-J.; Lello, O. D.; Chew, Y. L. E.; Willcox, C. H.; Ho, R. H. M.; Tran, U. S. (2015). "The ABC's of Suicide Risk Assessment: Applying a Tripartite Approach to Individual Evaluations". PLOS ONE. 10 (6): e0127442. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1027442H. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127442 . PMC   4452484 . PMID   26030590.
  6. Oxford Handbook of Emergency Medicine. Third Edition. Page 609.