Adult Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Suicide Risk Assessment

Percentage of patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) with a suicide risk assessment completed during the visit in which a new diagnosis or recurrent episode was identified

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This measure aims to improve rates of clinician assessment of suicide risk during an encounter where a new or recurrent episode of major depressive disorder is identified. In an epidemiologic study (2010) of mental illness in the United States with a large, representative sample, 69% of respondents with lifetime suicide attempts had also met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder. When considering other mood disorders related to depression, such as dysthymia and bipolar disorders, this rate increases to 74% (Bolton & Robinson, 2010). In a 2014 study conducted by Ahmedani et al., 50% of individuals who completed a suicide had been seen in a health care setting within four weeks prior. Better assessment and identification of suicide risk in the health care setting should lead to improved connection to treatment and reduction in suicide attempts and deaths by suicide.

A careful and ongoing evaluation of suicide risk is necessary for all patients with major depressive disorder [I] (American Psychiatric Association, 2010a, reaffirmed 2015).

Such an assessment includes specific inquiry about suicidal thoughts, intent, plans, means, and behaviors; identification of specific psychiatric symptoms (e.g., psychosis, severe anxiety, substance use) or general medical conditions that may increase the likelihood of acting on suicidal ideas; assessment of past and, particularly, recent suicidal behavior; delineation of current stressors and potential protective factors (e.g., positive reasons for living, strong social support); and identification of any family history of suicide or mental illness [I] (American Psychiatric Association, 2010a, reaffirmed 2015).

As part of the assessment process, impulsivity and potential for risk to others should also be evaluated, including any history of violence or violent or homicidal ideas, plans, or intentions [I] (American Psychiatric Association, 2010a, reaffirmed 2015).

The patient's risk of harm to him- or herself and to others should also be monitored as treatment proceeds [I] (American Psychiatric Association, 2010a, reaffirmed 2015).

Guidelines for Selecting a Treatment Setting for Patients at Risk for Suicide or Suicidal Behaviors (from American Psychiatric Association’s Practice Guideline for Assessment and Treatment of Patients With Suicidal Behaviors, 2010b):
Admission generally indicated
After a suicide attempt or aborted suicide attempt if:
* Patient is psychotic
* Attempt was violent, near-lethal, or premeditated
* Precautions were taken to avoid rescue or discovery
* Persistent plan and/or intent is present
* Distress is increased or patient regrets surviving
* Patient is male, older than age 45 years, especially with new onset of psychiatric illness or suicidal thinking
* Patient has limited family and/or social support, including lack of stable living situation
* Current impulsive behavior, severe agitation, poor judgment, or refusal of help is evident
* Patient has change in mental status with a metabolic, toxic, infectious, or other etiology requiring further workup in a structured setting

In the presence of suicidal ideation with:
* Specific plan with high lethality
* High suicidal intent

Admission may be necessary
After a suicide attempt or aborted suicide attempt, except in circumstances for which admission is generally indicated

In the presence of suicidal ideation with:
* Psychosis
* Major psychiatric disorder
* Past attempts, particularly if medically serious
* Possibly contributing medical condition (e.g., acute neurological disorder, cancer, infection)
* Lack of response to or inability to cooperate with partial hospital or outpatient treatment
* Need for supervised setting for medication trial or ECT
* Need for skilled observation, clinical tests, or diagnostic assessments that require a structured setting
* Limited family and/or social support, including lack of stable living situation
* Lack of an ongoing clinician-patient relationship or lack of access to timely outpatient follow-up
* [Evidence of putting one's affairs in order (e.g., giving away possessions, writing a will)]

In the absence of suicide attempts or reported suicidal ideation/plan/intent but evidence from the psychiatric evaluation and/or history from others suggests a high level of suicide risk and a recent acute increase in risk

Release from emergency department with follow-up recommendations may be possible
After a suicide attempt or in the presence of suicidal ideation/plan when:
* Suicidality is a reaction to precipitating events (e.g., exam failure, relationship difficulties), particularly if the patient's view of situation has changed since coming to emergency department
* Plan/method and intent have low lethality
* Patient has stable and supportive living situation
* Patient is able to cooperate with recommendations for follow-up, with treater contacted, if possible, if patient is currently in treatment

Outpatient treatment may be more beneficial than hospitalization
Patient has chronic suicidal ideation and/or self-injury without prior medically serious attempts, if a safe and supportive living situation is available and outpatient psychiatric care is ongoing.

Higher score indicates better quality

American Psychiatric Association. (2010a). Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder. 3rd edition. Retrieved from http://psychiatryonline.org/pb/assets/raw/sitewide/practice_guidelines/guidelines/mdd.pdf
(This guideline was reaffirmed in 2015.)

American Psychiatric Association. (2010b). Guidelines for selecting a treatment setting for patients at risk for suicide or suicidal behaviors. Retrieved from http://psychiatryonline.org/pb/assets/raw/sitewide/practice_guidelines/guidelines/suicide.pdf

Ahmedani, B. K., Simon, G. E., Stewart, C., et al. (2014). Health care contacts in the year before suicide death. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 29(6), 870-877. doi:10.1007/s11606-014-2767-3  

Bolton, J. M., & Robinson, J. (2010). Population-attributable fractions of Axis I and Axis II mental disorders for suicide attempts: Findings from a representative sample of the adult, noninstitutionalized U.S. population. American Journal of Public Health, 100(12), 2473-2480. doi:10.2105/ajph.2010.192252 

The specific type and magnitude of the suicide risk assessment is intended to be at the discretion of the individual clinician and should be specific to the needs of the patient. At a minimum, suicide risk assessment should evaluate:
1) Suicidal ideation
2) Patient's intent of initiating a suicide attempt
AND, if either is present,
3) Patient plans for a suicide attempt
4) Whether the patient has means for completing suicide

Low burden tools to track suicidal ideation and behavior such as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and the Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation and Triage (SAFE-T) can also be used. Because no validated assessment tool or instrument fully meets the aforementioned requirements for the suicide risk assessment, individual tools or instruments have not been explicitly included in coding.

This measure is an episode-of-care measure and should be reported for each instance of a new or recurrent episode of major depressive disorder (MDD); every new or recurrent episode will count separately in the Initial Population.

As the guidelines state, it is important to assess for additional factors which may increase or decrease suicide risk, such as presence of additional symptoms (e.g., psychosis, severe anxiety, hopelessness, severe chronic pain); presence of substance abuse, history and seriousness of previous attempts, particularly, recent suicidal behavior, current stressors and potential protective factors (e.g., positive reasons for living, strong social support), family history of suicide or mental illness or recent exposure to suicide, impulsivity and potential for risk to others, including history of violence or violent or homicidal ideas, plans, or intentions, and putting one's affairs in order (e.g., giving away possessions, writing a will). In addition, although the measure focuses on the initial visit, it is critical that suicide risk be monitored especially for the 90 days following the initial visit and throughout MDD treatment.

It is expected that a suicide risk assessment will be completed at the visit during which a new diagnosis is made or at the visit during which a recurrent episode is first identified (i.e., at the initial evaluation). For the purposes of this measure, an episode of major depressive disorder (MDD) would be considered to be recurrent if a patient has not had an MDD-related encounter in the past 105 days. If there is a gap of 105 or more days between visits for major depressive disorder (MDD), that would imply a recurrent episode. The 105-day look-back period is an operational provision and not a clinical recommendation, or definition of relapse, remission, or recurrence.

Suicide risk assessments completed via telehealth services can also meet numerator performance.

Use of a standardized tool(s) or instrument(s) to assess suicide risk will meet numerator performance. Standardized tools can be mapped to the concept "Intervention, Performed": "Suicide risk assessment (procedure)" included in the numerator logic below.

The logic statement for the age requirement, as written, captures patients who turn 18 years old during the measurement period so that these patients are included in the measure, so long as the minimum criteria noted above is evaluated. To ensure all patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) are assessed for suicide risk, there are two clinical quality measures addressing suicide risk assessment; CMS 177 covers children and adolescents aged 6 through 17, and CMS 161 covers the adult population aged 18 years and older, as no individual suicide risk assessment tool or instrument would satisfy the requirements alone.

TBD

All patients aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD)

Equals Initial Population

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Patients with a suicide risk assessment completed during the visit in which a new diagnosis or recurrent episode was identified

Not Applicable

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For every patient evaluated by this measure also identify payer, race, ethnicity and sex

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