Measuring Suicidal Behavior and Risk in Children and Adolescents

Book excerpt: Measuring Suicidal Behavior and Risk in Children and Adolescents offers practitioners and researchers practical, up-to-date information on a wide range of instruments used to evaluate suicidal behaviors in children and adolescents. In this critical and comprehensive reference book, the author first describes conceptual, definitional, and psychometric issues important in evaluating and comparing various assessment instruments and then focuses on available instruments that can be used for screening purposes or as adjuncts in detecting, describing, or estimating the risk of suicidal behavior. Among the types of instruments reviewed are psychiatric diagnostic interviews, self-report inventories, and survey screening items developed for several specific populations such as Native American youths, runaway and homeless youths, and gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths. The author also discusses clinical considerations in the choice of instruments and offers a set of decision rules to help readers choose those instruments that meet their specific needs.