Columbia Suicide Risk Calculator

Columbia Suicide Risk Calculator for Psychiatry. Do not use this number to decide discharge, observation, treatment or whether someone is safe. Clinical safety assessment is required regardless of category. For immediate danger or inability to stay safe, contact local emergency or crisis services now.

For shared guidance on choosing a tool and documenting results, read the clinical calculator workflow.

How this calculator works

The official research guide treats ideation severity as an ordinal category, distinct from ideation intensity and behavior. This is a record of that category only, not a numerical suicide-risk model. Source: https://cssrs.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/ScoringandDataAnalysisGuide-for-Clinical-Trials-1.pdf

When to use this calculator

Use only after the appropriate official assessment has already been completed. Keep behavior history, current clinical concerns and the timeframe in the clinical record. Immediate danger requires immediate help, not calculation.

Inputs used

  • Externally established 0-5 ideation severity category and assessment timeframe

Clinical interpretation

Do not use this number to decide discharge, observation, treatment or whether someone is safe. Clinical safety assessment is required regardless of category. For immediate danger or inability to stay safe, contact local emergency or crisis services now.

Worked example

An official current ideation category of 0 can coexist with a clinically important recent behavior history. The page deliberately supplies no green safe label. A missing assessment stays blank and is never converted to zero.

Limitations and safety notes

This page cannot decide observation level, discharge, treatment or safety. No questions or response descriptors are reproduced. NICE NG225 advises against using scales to predict suicide or determine discharge.

Frequently asked questions

Is a category of 4 an 80% risk?

No. The category is ordinal, not a probability or a summed risk score.

References

  • https://cssrs.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/ScoringandDataAnalysisGuide-for-Clinical-Trials-1.pdf
  • https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng225/chapter/recommendations

Editorial review and citation methodology

Maintained by the Quick Medical Calculator Editorial Team. Content record date: September 9, 2026. A content date is not evidence of independent clinical review. Individual clinical sign-off is not recorded on this page.

  • Prefer original validation studies for scoring systems and prediction tools.
  • Use current specialty society guidance, transplant allocation policy, public health guidance, or regulator resources when they govern clinical use.
  • Include limitations and safety notes when a calculator is population-specific, context-dependent, or unsuitable as a standalone decision tool.

Related reviewed calculators