Suicide risk assessment and management — MCQs

A 19-year-old female college student is brought into the emergency department by her boyfriend. The boyfriend reports that the patient got caught stealing from the company she works for and subsequently got fired. The boyfriend received a text that evening saying “I’ll miss you.” When he arrived at her dorm room, the patient was slumped in the shower covered in blood. The patient agreed to be driven to the emergency room. When asked about what happened, the patient replies “I just want out of this life.” The patient has bipolar disorder, and takes lithium as prescribed. She has a psychiatrist she sees every week, which the boyfriend confirms. She has never had a prior suicide attempt nor has she ever been hospitalized for a psychiatric disorder. The patient’s vitals are stable. Upon physical examination, a 4 centimeter vertical incision is noted on the patient’s left forearm. During the patient’s laceration repair, she asks if she will be admitted. She states, “these ups and downs are common for me, but I feel better now.” She verbalizes that she understands that she overreacted. She asks to go home, and her boyfriend insists that he will stay with her. They both confirm that neither of them have guns or know any peers with access to guns. Which of the following is the most appropriate management for the patient?

A 17-year-old white female with a history of depression is brought to your office by her parents because they are concerned that she is acting differently. She is quiet and denies any changes in her personality or drug use. After the parents step out so that you can speak alone, she begins crying. She states that school has been very difficult and has been very depressed for the past 2 months. She feels a lot of pressure from her parents and coaches and says she cannot handle it anymore. She says that she has been cutting her wrists for the past week and is planning to commit suicide. She instantly regrets telling you and begs you not to tell her parents. What is the most appropriate course of action?

An 82-year-old woman comes to the physician because of difficulty sleeping and increasing fatigue. Over the past 3 months she has been waking up early and having trouble falling asleep at night. During this period, she has had a decreased appetite and a 3.2-kg (7-lb) weight loss. Since the death of her husband one year ago, she has been living with her son and his wife. She is worried and feels guilty because she does not want to impose on them. She has stopped going to meetings at the senior center because she does not enjoy them anymore and also because she feels uncomfortable asking her son to give her a ride, especially since her son has had a great deal of stress lately. She is 155 cm (5 ft 1 in) tall and weighs 51 kg (110 lb); BMI is 21 kg/m2. Vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. On mental status examination, she is tired and has a flattened affect. Cognition is intact. Which of the following is the most appropriate initial step in management?

A 24-year-old woman visits her psychiatrist a week after she delivered a baby. She is holding her baby and crying as she waits for her appointment. She tells her physician that a day or so after her delivery, she has been finding it difficult to contain her feelings. She is often sad and unable to contain her tears. She is embarrassed and often starts crying without any reason in front of people. She is also anxious that she will not be a good mother and will make mistakes. She hasn’t slept much since the delivery and is often stressed about her baby getting hurt. She makes excessive attempts to keep the baby safe and avoid any mishaps. She does not report any loss of interest in her activities and denies any suicidal tendencies. Which of the following is best course of management for this patient?

A 16-year-old boy comes to the physician for the evaluation of fatigue over the past month. He reports that his energy levels are low and that he spends most of his time in his room. He also states that he is not in the mood for meeting friends. He used to enjoy playing soccer and going to the shooting range with his father, but recently stopped showing interest in these activities. He has been having difficulties at school due to concentration problems. His appetite is low. He has problems falling asleep. He states that he has thought about ending his life, but he has no specific plan. He lives with his parents, who frequently fight due to financial problems. He does not smoke. He drinks 2–3 cans of beer on the weekends. He does not use illicit drugs. He takes no medications. His vital signs are within normal limits. On mental status examination, he is oriented to person, place, and time. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. In addition to the administration of an appropriate medication, which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

In 2006, three researchers from North Carolina wanted to examine the benefits of treating the risk of suicidality in children and adolescents by looking at randomized, multicenter, controlled trials of sertraline usage compared to placebo. Their analysis found clinically significant benefits of the drug and a positive benefit-to-risk ratio for sertraline in adolescents with major depressive disorder. They also found that 64 depressed children and adolescents need to receive the drug for 1 extra patient to experience suicidality as an adverse outcome. In other words, if 64 treated individuals received sertraline, some would experience suicidality due to their illness, some would not experience suicidality, and 1 individual would become suicidal due to the unique contribution of sertraline. Which of the following statements is true for this measure (defined as the inverse of the attributable risk), which aims to describe adverse outcomes this way?

A 29-year-old man with post-traumatic stress disorder is admitted to the hospital following an intentional opioid overdose. He is a soldier who returned from a deployment in Afghanistan 3 months ago. He is divorced and lives alone. His mother died by suicide when he was 8 years of age. He states that he intended to end his life as painlessly as possible and has also contemplated using his service firearm to end his life. He asks the physician if assisted suicide is legal in his state. He does not smoke or drink alcohol but uses medical marijuana daily. Mental status examination shows a depressed mood and constricted affect. Which of the following is the strongest risk factor for suicide in this patient?

A 60-year-old Caucasian man is brought to the emergency department by his roommate after he reportedly ingested a bottle of Tylenol. He reports being suddenly sad and very lonely and impulsively overdosed on some pills that he had laying around. He then immediately induced vomiting and regurgitated most of the pills back up and rushed to his roommate for help. The patient has a past medical history significant for hypertension and diabetes. He takes chlorthalidone, methadone, and glimepiride regularly. He lives in a room alone with no family and mostly keeps to himself. The patient’s vital signs are normal. Physical examination is unremarkable. The patient says that he still enjoys his life and regrets trying to overdose on the pills. He says that he will probably be fine for the next few days but has another bottle of pills he can take if he starts to feel sad again. Which of the following is the best predictor of this patient attempting to commit suicide again in the future?

A 27-year-old woman is brought to the physician by her parents because they are concerned about her mood. They say that she has “not been herself” since the death of her friend, who was killed 3 weeks ago when the fighter jet he piloted was shot down overseas. She says that since the incident, she feels sad and alone. She reports having repeated nightmares about her friend's death. Her appetite has decreased, but she is still eating regularly and is otherwise able to take care of herself. She does not leave her home for any social activities and avoids visits from friends. She went back to work after taking 1 week off after the incident. Her vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. On mental status examination, she appears sad, has a full range of affect, and is cooperative. In addition to taking measures to evaluate this patient's anxiety, which of the following is the most appropriate statement by the physician at this time?

A 26-year-old man is brought to the emergency room by his roommate after he was found attempting to commit suicide. His roommate says that he stopped him before he was about to jump off the balcony. He has been receiving treatment for depression for about a year. 6 months ago, he had come to the hospital reporting decreased interest in his daily activities and inability to concentrate on his work. He had stopped going out or accepting invitations for any social events. He spent several nights tossing and turning in bed. He also expressed guilt for being unable to live up to his parents’ expectations. His psychiatrist started him on fluoxetine. He says that none of the medications have helped even though the dose of his medication was increased on several occasions, and he was also switched to other medications over the course of the past year. He has mentioned having suicidal thoughts due to his inability to cope with daily activities, but this is the first time he has ever attempted it. Which of the following would this patient be a suitable candidate for?