Deck 11: Comprehensive Risk Assessments: Suicide and Dangerousness to Others

Question 1

A professional's ability to make predictions about who will attempt suicide based on standardized measures is limited because:

A) There are very few valid standardized suicide measures
B) Suicide is a very low base rate phenomenon
C) People who are planning on attempting suicide do not communicate that intention on standardize measures
D) Risk factors can not be established with standardized measures

Answer 1

Suicide is a very low base rate phenomenon

Question 2

All of the following would be considered a risk factor for suicide except for:

A) Poor problem solving skills
B) Fear of social disapproval
C) Prior history of suicidal behavior
D) Feeling hopeless

Answer 2

Fear of social disapproval

Question 3

People suffering from schizophrenia are more prone to attempt suicide because:

A) It is a serious mental illness
B) Individuals with this disorder can not engage in problem solving
C) They are prone to pose a danger to others and themselves
D) Certain hallucinations and delusional thinking pose a risk for suicidal behavior

Answer 3

Certain hallucinations and delusional thinking pose a risk for suicidal behavior

Question 4

When evaluating a client's risk for suicide it is important for counselors to consider protective factors because these factors are:

A) Not present in people who have depression or a personality disorder
B) Likely to reduce the degree of risk and guide management decisions
C) More important than risk factors when determining a person's level of risk
D) Twice as important as risk factors in determining a person's suicide risk

Question 5

According to criteria developed by Bryan and Rudd, a person's risk of attempting suicide would be considered severe when:

A) Suicidal ideation is often, a plan exists and there are many protective factors
B) A plan is available, a few risk factors are present, and suicidal ideation is infrequent
C) A client can indicate a reason for living but a plan is readily available
D) Suicidal ideation is present and self-control is limited, hopelessness is strong, and reasons for living have not been articulated.

Question 6

The Suicide Assessment Checklist is:

A) A semi-structured interview for assessing suicide risk
B) A method for quantifying suicide risk
C) A tool for documenting how the risk assessment was conducted
D) All of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is considered a limitation of standardized suicide assessment measures?

A) They have a tendency to overestimate suicide risk
B) They have a tendency to underestimate suicide risk
C) Clients do not respond honestly about suicide when completing questionnaires
D) They have very weak psychometric properties

Question 8

Which of the following standardized suicide questionnaires emphasizes the assessment of protective factors:

A) Scale for Suicide Ideation
B) Suicide Behavior Questionnaire
C) Reasons for Living Inventory
D) None of the above

Question 9

What is the difference between active and passive suicidal ideation?

A) Active ideation involves thoughts of wanting to kill self passive involves thoughts of dying but not an intention to kill one's self
B) Active ideation involves thoughts of dying but no intention to kill one's self where as passive ideation involves intention and a plan
C) There is no difference; the two terms are synonymous
D) Active ideation involves thinking about a plan that is lethal whereas passive ideation is about a suicide plan that is not lethal

Question 10

When assessing suicide risk it is helpful for clinicians to combine information obtained from interviews with data from a standardized questionnaire because:

A) Professional codes of ethics mandate doing so
B) Interviews can also assess risk factors whereas questionnaires assess both risk and protective factors
C) Many clients report about their suicidal thinking and behavior one way to interviewers and another way when answering questionnaires
D) The information gained from a questionnaire can supplement interview data by identifying risk and protective factors not obtained through an interview

Question 11

Research has shown that clinicians are somewhat good at predicting:

A) Who will commit suicide with a gun
B) Which children will become aggressive adults
C) Which individuals are imminent risk for violent behavior
D) Which individuals will never commit a violent act

Question 12

Recent research has shown that there can be a relationship between how an individual scores on an anger-hostility measure and future:

A) Violent behavior with an intimate partner
B) Suicidal behavior
C) Depression episodes
D) Manic episodes

Question 13

Physical and verbal aggression can be assessed with which of the following standardized measures:

A) MMPI-2 (Anger-scale)
B) State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2)
C) Aggression Questionnaire
D) All of the above

Question 14

Which individuals are more likely to engage in premeditated violence?

A) Woman diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder
B) Males who have schizophrenia
C) Young adult males with anti-social tendencies
D) All individuals with a DSM-IV disorder are equally likely to plan violent acts

Question 15

If a counselor was working with a couple and wanted a standardized way to assess for domestic violence, which standardized questionnaire would be helpful to use?

A) Overt Aggression Scale Modified
B) Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (Physical Assault Subscale)
C) MMPI-2 (Family Violence Scale)
D) Partners Conflict Inventory-Revised

Question 16

When a counselor assesses the degree to which a client poses a danger to someone else it is important to consider which of the following factors:

A) The client's typical ways of expressing anger
B) The client's history of behavior that has harmed others
C) Level of impulse control
D) All of the above

Question 17

An eleven year old boy, John, was overheard telling a peer during recess, "I don't want to be here anymore." John's parents separated three months ago but each parent continues to come to school events. John lives mostly with his mother, 8 year old sister, and mother's boyfriend. John's 18 year old brother began college three months ago. The day following the recess disclosure, John's mother met with the school counselor and told her that John's grandfather attempted to kill himself in a nursing home last year. John's mother also reported that she suspects her son has not been swallowing his Ritalin tablets and hoarding them. The school counselor notes that John is a very popular student and often has many different friends to play with at recess. Please answer the following questions based on this case:
a) If the school counselor was going to assess suicide risk in John what are the risk and protective factors she would consider based on the information in this case?
b) What are 3 different questions you would want to ask John to further assess his suicide risk?

Question 18

What is the difference between acts of self-harm and suicide attempts?

Question 19

What are the risk and protective factors to consider when assessing an individual's potential for violence?

Question 20

How do you determine whether an individual is at moderate versus severe risk for suicide?

Question 21

Identify a specific standardized measure that you would use to assess suicide risk and when would you use that measure?