Assessment of risk of suicide | Right Decisions

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Mental health in pregnancy and after birth (SIGN)
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Assessment of risk of suicide

Please update your RDS mobile app to version 4.7.1

We are pleased to advise that deep linking capability, enabling users to directly download individual mobile toolkits, has now been released on the RDS mobile app. When you install the update, you will see that each toolkit has a small QR code icon the header area beside the search icon – see screenshot below. Clicking on this icon will open up a window with a full-size QR code and the alternative of a short URL for sharing with users. Instructions are provided.

You may need to actively install the update to install RDS app version 4.7.1 to see this improvement. Installing this update is also strongly recommended to get the full benefits of the new contingency arrangements – specifically, that if the RDS website should fail, you will still be able to download new mobile app toolkits.

To check your current RDS version, click on the three dots bottom right of the RDS app screen. This takes you to a “More” page where you will see the version number. To install latest updates:

On iPhones – go to the Apple store, click on your profile icon top right, scroll down to see the apps waiting to be updated and update the RDS app.

On Android phones – these can vary, but try going to the Google Play store, click on your profile icon top right, click on “Manage apps and device”, select and update the RDS app.

Please get in touch with ann.wales3@nhs.scot with any questions.

If a mother/birthing parent is at risk of suicide it is recommended to have a safety plan in place to support them. Developing a safety plan involves assisting the woman/birthing parent to identify:

warning signs that she/they may be at risk of imminent suicide (eg feeling trapped, worthless or hopeless)
actions to protect herself/themself and the infant
internal coping strategies that decrease the level of risk
people within her/their network who can assist in times of need
health professionals and agencies that can be contacted for help.

When a woman/birthing parent is identified as at risk of suicide, manage immediate risk, arrange for urgent mental health assessment and consider support and treatment options.

Refer to the MBRACCE-UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK) red flag signs for severe maternal mental illness to identify women/birthing parents who require urgent senior psychiatric assessment, for example:

recent significant change in mental state or emergence of new symptoms
new thoughts or acts of violent self harm
new and persistent expressions of incompetency as a mother/birthing parent or estrangement from the infant
severe difficulties with sleeping.