Suicide precautions
Structured condition card with NCLEX priority cues and nursing action focus.
Mental Healthhigh priorityneeds review
Suicide precautions
Etiology / Pathophysiology
- Risk rises with depression, substance use, prior attempt, access to means, hopelessness, or acute crisis.
- Immediate safety depends on reducing opportunity, increasing observation, and therapeutic engagement.
Medications
| Class | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Psych antidepressants | May treat underlying depression but safety monitoring remains priority. |
Nursing actions
- Ask directly about suicidal thoughts, plan, means, and intent.
- Maintain observation level and remove hazards per policy.
- Use therapeutic communication and do not leave high-risk client alone.
Complications
- Self-harm
- Death
NCLEX cues
- Direct questions do not plant the idea.
- Sudden calm after decision can be concerning.
Memory hooks
- Ask directly, remove means, stay with safety risk.
Labs / Diagnostics
- Trend assessment findings and ordered diagnostics; verify exact values with school source material.
Review notes
- Session-derived study seed. Verify against school materials, ATI/NCLEX review sources, current orders, and facility policy before relying on details.