Suicide risk assessment: clinical implications of the unpredictability of suicidal behavior
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By
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Tobias Teismann
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Wilco C. Janssen
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Henriëtte D. Heering
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June 2, 2026
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Objective:
To summarize the limitations of current suicide risk assessment methods.
Key Findings:
- Current risk assessments have moderate reliability and insufficient predictive power for individual suicidal behavior.
- Prediction of suicide attempts and suicides has not improved over the past 50 years despite increased research.
- Combining multiple risk factors does not significantly enhance predictive accuracy.
Interpretation:
Limitations:
- The article does not provide a formal systematic review of the literature.
- The proposed integrated model lacks empirical validation.
Conclusion:
