EPV1667 - Implementation and Clinical Utility of Suicide Crisis Syndrome Screening in an Acute Psychiatric Setting: A Prospective Observational Study
EPV1667
Implementation and Clinical Utility of Suicide Crisis Syndrome Screening in an Acute Psychiatric Setting: A Prospective Observational Study
C. Lovig 1,*, P. Osváth 1, C. Molnár 1, F. N. Major 2, S. Venczák 2, S. Fekete 1, T. Tényi 1, L. Cohen 3, I. Galynker 3, V. Vörös 1
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 2Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary, 3Mount Sinai Suicide Prevention Research Laboratory, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
Introduction: Suicide is still a major public health challenge with approximately 800,000 deaths annually worldwide. Traditional risk assessments heavily rely on self-reported suicidal ideation and static risk factors, which may be insufficient for detecting imminent suicide risk. Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS), defined as a pre-suicidal mental-state characterized by affective and cognitive dysregulation may be novel helpful tool in complex suicide risk assessment.
Objectives: This study aimed to implement SCS screening protocols in an acute psychiatric setting and to evaluate their impact on clinical decision-making and patient pathways.
Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a university hospital between January and June, 2024. All patients admitted to the acute inpatient and outpatient psychiatric units were assessed using a three-tier screening model. Patients screened positive for SCS underwent structured diagnostic evaluation using the SCS-C (Suicide Crisis Syndrome Checklist) checklist. The associations between SCS symptoms, clinical decisions (admission vs. outpatient care) and treatment outcomes were analysed.
Results: Of 668 patients screened, SCS positivity showed strong predictive value for inpatient admission. 70% of admitted patients screened positive for SCS, compared to only 30% among outpatients. Core SCS symptoms (entrapment, cognitive dysregulation, and social withdrawal) were most predictive for hospitalization. The A-SCS-C demonstrated excellent psychometric performance (sensitivity: 0.955, specificity: 0.723) in identifying cases confirmed by the SCS-C. A significant decrease in SCS symptom burden was observed during hospitalization, particularly between days 10 and 20, indicating treatment response.
Conclusions: SCS screening provide a valuable framework for detecting acute suicidal states that may be overlooked by conventional assessments. A-SCS-C has high sensitivity and specificity with SCS diagnostic tool. The SCS-C may function as a clinical decision-making support tool, however further longitudinal research is warranted to evaluate long-term outcomes, including readmission and suicide prediction.
Disclosure of Interest: None Declared