The rate of suicide among US adolescents is rising, but still, most adolescents don’t receive any mental health services. The question is that can the use of a computerized adaptive screen reliably predict a youth suicide attempt? This study aims to develop and validate a computerized adaptive screen for suicidal youth (CASSY).
This prognostic study enrolled adolescent patients at geographically diverse US EDs. The participants completed a baseline suicide risk survey and participated in three-month telephone follow-ups. Three fixed Ask Suicide-Screening Questions items were used to derive algorithms for the CASSY. The participants were exposed to a presentation at an ED, and the primary outcome of the study was a suicide attempt between ED visit and 3-month follow-up.
The derivation sample included 2,075 adolescents and 2,754 adolescents across two studies. Each cohort was followed up for three months. The findings suggested that the CASSY algorithm had an excellent predictive accuracy for suicide attempts. The mean number of adaptively administered items was 11, and the specificity and sensitivity of the CASSI was 80% and 83%, respectively.
The research concluded that the personalized and adaptive CASSY demonstrated excellent suicide attempt risk recognition, with the potential to enable connection to services.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2775993?resultClick=1
