No objective test exists for suicidal thoughts – no X-ray to detect broken hope, no CAT scan to reveal intolerable emotional pain, no blood test to expose toxic intentions. This reality is disappointing, even devastating. People understandably want professionals to predict and prevent suicide. For example, after a pilot intentionally slammed a Germanwings plane into a mountain in the Alps in 2015, killing 149 people plus the pilot, some people called for airlines to screen pilots for suicidal thoughts. There’s a hope that screening people for suicidal thoughts would automatically reveal who longs to die. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
The post Beyond Magic: How Do We Detect Suicidal Thoughts? appeared first on Speaking of Suicide.
