Free tool · Scored assessment

C-SSRS Screener.

The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale, Screen Version – Recent — the most widely used suicide-risk screener. Walk the six questions and the tool handles the branching (questions 3–5 only apply if the patient has had thoughts of killing themselves), then maps the answers to the Low / Moderate / High risk triage with the recommended response. Question wording is the official Columbia instrument; the triage and validity evidence follow Posner 2011 and the Columbia Lighthouse Project. This is a screen that guides your judgment and your facility's protocol — it is not a full risk assessment and never replaces clinical evaluation.

Columbia screener — Screen Version, Recent

Ask the questions in bold exactly as written. Questions 1–5 ask about the past month; question 6 asks about lifetime behaviour, then the past 3 months.

Have you wished you were dead or wished you could go to sleep and not wake up?past month

Have you actually had any thoughts of killing yourself?past month

If Yes → questions 3, 4, 5 and 6. If No → skip to question 6.

Have you been thinking about how you might do this?past month

e.g. "I thought about taking an overdose but I never made a specific plan as to when, where or how I would actually do it… and I would never go through with it."

Have you had these thoughts and had some intention of acting on them?past month

as opposed to "I have the thoughts but I definitely will not do anything about them."

Have you started to work out or worked out the details of how to kill yourself? Do you intend to carry out this plan?past month

Have you ever done anything, started to do anything, or prepared to do anything to end your life?lifetime

Examples: collected pills, obtained a gun, gave away valuables, wrote a will or suicide note, took out pills but didn't swallow any, held a gun but changed your mind, went to the roof but didn't jump; or actually took pills, tried to shoot yourself, cut yourself, tried to hang yourself, etc.

Answer the questions above to see the risk triage.

How the screen triages [2][3]

Highest "Yes"	Risk	Typical response (confirm with your protocol)
Q1 and/or Q2 only	Low	Behavioral-health referral; share with provider; reassess.
Q3	Moderate	Behavioral-health referral / consult; safety review; don't leave alone if concerned.
Q4, Q5, or any Q6 behavior	High	Immediate safety: do not leave the patient alone, remove means, urgent behavioral-health / provider evaluation, suicide precautions per protocol.

Within the High band, intent (Q4), a plan (Q5), or any suicidal behavior within the past 3 months (Q6) are the most acute and call for immediate suicide precautions. A positive behavior on Q6 — even lifetime — is treated as a high-risk flag here. Columbia publishes several setting-specific triage forms (emergency department, primary care, etc.) and the exact banding and actions vary between them; this screen uses the common Low / Moderate / High framing and deliberately errs toward escalation. Your facility sets the exact actions for each level. A negative screen never overrides clinical concern.

Disclaimer: Educational tool only — not a clinical decision-support device, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for your assessment, your provider's evaluation, or your facility's suicide-risk policy. The C-SSRS Screen is a screen, not a full risk assessment; a positive screen should trigger a complete evaluation by a qualified clinician. Never leave a patient you are worried about alone, and follow your facility's suicide-precaution protocol. Enter de-identified values only; nothing is stored or transmitted. If you or someone you're with is in crisis, call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, US) or your local emergency number.

References & attribution

Posner K, Brown GK, Stanley B, et al. The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale: initial validity and internal consistency findings from three multisite studies with adolescents and adults. Am J Psychiatry. 2011;168(12):1266–1277. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10111704.
Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale, Screen Version – Recent. © 2008 The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. Question wording verified against the federally reproduced instrument. cms.gov (CMS-hosted form). For training and inquiries: Columbia Lighthouse Project.
The Columbia Lighthouse Project — the C-SSRS, risk triage (Low / Moderate / High) and recommended responses. cssrs.columbia.edu.

The C-SSRS is © 2008 The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc., and is provided free of charge for use; questions are reproduced here for clinical screening with attribution. Your facility may use a locally adapted Columbia protocol and triage actions — those take precedence at the bedside.

Pairs well with

C-SSRS Screener.

Columbia screener — Screen Version, Recent

How the screen triages [2][3]

References & attribution

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