Ideation

[trying2movefwd]

Struggled today, but remembered my children. Also my T has this question she asks me about S/I wanting me to rate "how suicidal I am on a scale" 0 great and 10 the worst.....I cannot figure out how to gage that! Do you guys have any thoughts or experiences with this and knowing how to gage it?

 

[Naoru]

I hate rating scales! My t asks me to do the same in other areas. Makes me crazy. :banghead:

For S/I, 0 being great/not at all and 10 being the worst? I would factor intent, difficulty in managing the thoughts, frequency of thoughts, intensity, planning, things of that nature. Think of the time(s) you had the most difficulty in stopping yourself from attempting suicide (or when you did attempt) and all of the things that go along with that and rate it a 10. Think of your average day and how often you have S/I, and rate it lower on the scale ... work from there? I'm not sure, but I think this is how I would approach it.

 

[trying2movefwd]

I hate rating things.

 

[Recovery4Me]

There has been some research on suicide ideation frequency in order to access the risk within one's mental health. For instance for children and young adults with OCD:

"Suicidal ideation was significantly related to clinician-rated depressive symptoms, age, child-rated impairment and anxiety symptoms, and symmetry, sexuality/religiosity and miscellaneous symptom dimensions. "
Dead Link Removed

I offer the next one for in case you wanted to read up on the risk factors and where your T might be considering:
www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/Suicide_Risk_Assessment....

I found it helpful to read up on ideation to see it from an observation mode rather than being in the rabbit hole. Let me know what you think. (((hugs))) Even if it's,"You are definitely not helping me R4Me!!!";):hug::hug:

 

[Sherry]

Struggled today, but remembered my children. Also my T has this question she asks me about S/I w...

I agree with you trying2movefwd. I find any of those rating scales things very difficult. I often get asked 'on a scale of 1-10 what would you consider your level of distress to be today'? That sort of thing I get in therapy regularly. I have never been asked for a scale of S/I though, because I have never actually admitted to having any thoughts about S/I. Although thats wrong. Being able to gauge things is very difficult. I think if you consider your average day and call it a 5/10 as a starting point. Then go up and down from there depending on how you truly feel, then that would probably be a fair indication of where you're at. But tell your therapist that your scale is based on an average day being a 5/10. That usually works for me, and my therapist seems happy enough with that. Does that work for you?

 

[trying2movefwd]

I think I have figured one out. Thanks. And excellent idea about explaining my scale to the T!

 

[trying2movefwd]

Thanks @Recovery4Me
Very helpful article, makes me miss my cuz/bestie

 

[Recovery4Me]

@trying2movefwd (((hugs))) You are truly very courageous in handling so much loss, as well as trauma. Please be gentle with yourself, offering self compassion to your heart, soul and mind.