Suicide Crisis Syndrome: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: The objective of this systematic review is to describe the scientific evidence for the Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS), a presuicidal cognitive and affective state consisting of five symptomatic dimensions: entrapment, affective disturbance, loss of cognitive control, hyperarousal, and social withdrawal. The aim of this article is to summarize the emerging literature on the SCS and to assess the extent to which a uniform syndrome can be assumed.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in three different databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar) using the search terms "Suicide Crisis Inventory," "Suicide Crisis Syndrome," "Narrative Crisis Model of Suicide," and "Suicide Trigger State."

Results: In total, 37 articles from 2010 to 2022 were identified by search criteria. Twenty-one articles published between 2017 and 2022 were included in the systematic review. All but three studies were conducted in the United States and examined clinical samples of adult high-risk psychiatric in- and outpatients. Sample sizes ranged from N = 170 to 4846. The findings confirm the unidimensional structure of the proposed disorder and support the predictive validity for short-term suicidal behavior above and beyond suicidal ideation.

Conclusion: Despite the promising predictive validity of the SCS, a precise prediction of future suicidal behavior remains difficult.

Keywords: Suicide Crisis Syndrome; narrative‐crisis model of suicide; risk assessment; suicide; suicide risk; suicide trigger state.