Evaluation of the Risk for Suicide with the RSD Scale of Ducher

Kwiatkowski Fabrice¹* and Ducher Jean-Luc²

Received: December 05, 2018;   Published: December 14, 2018

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.12.002211

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Abstract

Context: Suicide risk evaluation has always been of importance for patients’ care, but it has recently become a major concern for clinical research. According to DSM-5 experts, new tools still need to be developed to better evaluate this risk. RSD scale (Risk for Suicide of Ducher) described hereafter, was created thirty years ago.

Methods: It consists in a hetero-questionnaire yielding a score from 0 to 10, 10 being the decisional level for the patient regarding a possible acting out. The scoring of the scale during the consultation by a psychiatrist or a physician does not need more than a few minutes. All studies that used RSD scale are included in this review.

Results: Outcomes and conclusions are synthetized to document its global metrologic properties. The scale has been tested in various situations (adolescents, adults, males and females, without/after a suicidal attempt) and in particular in a prospective trial to compare the efficacy of two antidepressants on depression and the suicidal risk in patients presenting with recurrent depressive disorder. In this latter, RSD was associated with 100% sensitivity and 87% specificity to predict suicide under treatment.

Conclusion: RSD seems to fit with recent guide-lines about suicide prevention but new studies in English-speaking countries are necessary to confirm its transcultural validity, and its interest in patients’ management as well as clinical trials.

Keywords :Suicide; Suicidal crisis; Scale; Questionnaire; RSD; Prevention; Review