Respond to Crisis

Respond effectively to individuals in crisis

• A full continuum of care includes not only hotlines and helplines but also mobile crisis teams, walk-in crisis clinics, hospital-based psychiatric emergency services, and peer-support programs.
• Crisis services directly address suicide risk by providing evaluation, stabilization, and referrals to ongoing care.

Provider actions

• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the suicide rate is 1.5x greater for Veterans than non-Veterans.
• As a community provider, you may face challenges when treating a Veteran at risk of suicide.
• Provide the right interventions at the right time.

Actions in practice

• Complete a risk assessment, Patent Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and Comprehensive Suicide Risk evaluation (CSRE).
• Assessment of prior suicide attempt(s), current psychiatric conditions (e.g., mood disorders, substance use disorders) or symptoms (e.g., hopelessness, insomnia, and agitation), prior psychiatric hospitalization, and recent bio-psychosocial stressors.